Mixing Business with Pleasure
by L0VEisREALx3
Summary: Miley is a reporter for E! News and Nick is starting his solo career. They meet and start dating. Will their jobs and insecurities get in the way of their being together? Future fic based off HM, not real life, NILEY, of course COMPLETED.
1. Chapter 1

So there I was. My first real interview for E! News.

To be honest I was feeling pretty confidant as I walked through those doors. I worked hard to get to this point in my life. I had dropped being Hannah Montana my senior year of high school and concentrated solely on grades and getting into college. I got into UCLA and majored in broadcast journalism. After college, I was quickly hired at E! to be a researcher for rumors found on the internet, a pretty good start for someone right out of college. I slowly worked my way through the system and finally I was picked to be the new interviewer girl. I was 24 and I was no doubt lucky.

I had on a pair of expensive black skinny jeans with killer red heels and a high necked red silk tank top, compliments of wardrobe back at the studio.

Thanks to Katy, one of the stylists, my makeup was flawless with smokey eye shadow and long dramatic lashes. My hair was perfectly curled and pulled to the side in a low pony tail.

My camera crew was behind me as I walked to the concierge of the hotel where the interview was to take place.

"Miley Stewart here from E! News to interview Nick Jonas," I said with a confidant smile.

The woman behind the desk typed something into her computer and then frowned.

"I'm sorry, Miss Stewart, but Mr. Jonas has cancelled all interviews and press for today."

This cannot be happening, I was thinking. This was supposed to be my big break. I needed to do this interview. In case you didn't know, Nick Jonas has been a music star since he was about thirteen. He and his brothers were in a band called the Jonas Brothers (original, I know). They had released almost eight CDs over the past few years and were well on their way to becoming the most popular band ever. Then abruptly about a month ago, the brothers announced that they were giving up the band. For about two weeks the whole family seemed to disappear of the face of the planet. Then, about two weeks ago, Nick emerged and announced that he was going to be having a solo career.

To say that that was a media frenzy would be an understatement. Everyone was dying to have the first interview with Nick Jonas, to find out why he and his brothers had given up the band and what he planned on doing with his solo career. But only E! was able to score an interview with him. They decided to send their most fresh faced interviewer- yours truly.

"I don't mean to be rude," I said to the concierge with a fake smile, "But do you think you could call his manager so I could speak to him?"

"Miss, I don't think that-"

"Listen," I said desperately, "This is my first interview. Could you please just try?"

She looked at me sympathetically and nodded. She picked up the phone and I was fighting the urge to bite my nails, a nervous habit I picked up when I was younger.

A few minutes later a man in a black expensive looking suit comes up to me, looking impatient and angry.

"Are you Miley Stewart from E! News?" he demands.

"Yes," I reply smartly, "I was just trying to make sure that it is true that Mr. Jonas is not doing any interviews. We have been planning this for a long time."

"Nick Jonas is a very busy man," he replies rudely, "He has more important things to do than talk to people like you."

You can totally tell that he thinks less of me because I'm from entertainment. What an asshole. HE makes a living organizing things for people who are more famous than him. Now there's a real job.

"But sir-" I tried again trying to be polite.

"No buts" he interrupts before leaving me rudely. Jeez, that was rude. It's not like I was planning to to an expose or something.

"Sorry" I said turning to the camera crew, "I guess we lost this one…"

Inside I was freaking out. What is my boss going to say? I'm supposed to be getting the inside scoop on Nick Jonas's new solo career! I am so screwed. Six months of slaving away back stage and now I'm going to get fired after my first real interview… Shit. I need a drink.

"Listen, Rick," I say addressing the head camera man, "You guys head back to the studio in the van. I'm going to grab a quick drink. I'll grab a taxi back when I'm done."

He shruged. It's not like he gives a shit what I do. He probably doesn't even know my name. All he does is set up the camera.

I walk to the hotel bar. I need a drink fast. No, I'm not an alcoholic, but sometimes you just get that craving where you just need something to cushion the blow of what's just happened to you, you know?

I don't know what it is about them, but hotel bars so are classy looking. It's like everyone there has some sort of secret. Of course, since it's barely even four it is practically empty. Except for one guy wearing worn looking jeans and a frayed button down shirt. He also has a trucker hat pulled slightly over his face. Sketchy much? Probably a writer I assess expertely after having lived in LA for a few years.

"Vodka and tonic," I say as the bartender places a napkin in front of me.

A good drink and I'll be brand new. And maybe I'll have the guts to go back to work and tell my boss about how I totally fucked up this interview.

The bartender places the small glass in front of me and goes back to drying the freshly washed glasses on the counter completely ignoring me. Ugh. I hate my life.

I down half the small glass in one gulp tipping my head back and enjoying the burn of the alcohol in the back of my throat.

"Fucking Nick Jonas," I mutter. That's what Hollywood-type people do. They think they are just so fucking important that they can walk all over anyone and it will just be okay. I had met Nick before as Hannah and he seemed okay, but whatever.

"Excuse me" the other man at the bar says, "What did you just say?"

"I'm sorry," I apologize. Jeez, who knew I was being so loud? "I just got stood up by someone," that was a much easier way to explain what had happened.

"You got stood up by Nick Jonas?" the guy asks skeptically. Okay, what the hell? Why is this guy so nosy?

"Not exactly," I admit. I don't know why I'm telling my story to a random guy at a bar, but I just have to get it out some how, "I was supposed to interview him. I work for E! News. This was my first interview, but apparently he's too good for me."

"Who told you that?" he demands. Wow, this guy totally should get on some meds to calm him down.

"His manager," I answer truthfully.

Suddenly he looks up and pushes his baseball cap off of his face.

"That's ridiculous," he says and I nearly faint. This random stranger at the bar is the Nick Jonas. Shit. And I just cursed him off.

"I'm sorry," I say flustered and trying to back track, "I didn't mean to offend you, it's just I had a really bad day, it's not your fault really-"

"Hey, if anyone should be apologizing it should be me. My new manager can be a real ass-" he stopped mid sentence as if he had said too much. I guess he figured since I'm a reporter he shouldn't say things like that to me. I know how it is though; I used to be an international pop star. I wouldn't sell him out if he was just venting his feelings. Of course he had no way of knowing that…

"Well," he continues smiling, "The least I can do is take you out to dinner."

Did he seriously just ask me to dinner? And the way he says it… its like it's a command, not a question. Okay, okay, so I _might_ have had a little crush on him as a teenager… Okay stop wait, he's just trying to be polite. Calm down Miley.

"That's okay," I say blushing even though I'm dying for him to contradict me. He doesn't disappoint.

"No seriously," he says, "I know this really great Italian place…"

I'm dying to say yes but I'm not sure. Is this even okay? Is it professional? Does he like me or is this like a pity date? Sorry you're going to get fired because of my manager, but have a meal on me.

Then I realize he's staring at me and waiting for an answer.

"Okay," I blurt out before I can over think it anymore. What could it hurt anyway?

He smiles and I feel my mouth stretching into a grin too.

_It's not a date, it's not a date, it's not a date_ I repeat to myself as he opens the door for me and lets me in to the passenger seat of the black sports car.

We pass down the familiar LA streets and I'm waiting for him to pull into one of the hot restaurants in LA. I'm so nervous. What if there are paparazzi? What do I do? Smile? Look down? Just act calm. What did I get myself into?

But then we drive past the usual streets. Almost a full half hour later he pulls up to a small family owned Italian restaurant that I've never been to.

White Christmas lights are twinkling in the window and it looks cozy and welcoming. It's like a small town restaurant in the middle of a big city. The lights are dimmed inside and there are red candles flickering softly at each table. There are only two other guests, a family of four and another couple. No, just a couple because Nick and I are _not_ a couple.

Once we get in Nick picks out a booth a little farther away from everyone else. Neither of us has really spoken since we left the hotel and to say it's awkward would be an understatement.

"So, Miley," he said while rolling up his sleeves, "What brings you to LA?"

"Well, I grew up in Malibu, then went to UCLA and got a degree in broadcast journalism. Now I'm a reporter for E!"

"A college girl- Nice" Nick said nodding to show his approval. Not that I need his approval, but...

"So what's your story?" I ask him jokingly. He seems like such a normal guy. I heard through the entertainment business that he was too serious and sometimes hard to be around, but I'm not getting that vibe at all.

"Well, I was in this band with my brothers, The Jonas Brothers, I don't know if you've heard of it." He deadpans.

Oh God, I love a boy who can joke like that. This is so wrong. I cannot like Nick Jonas.

"Hmm doesn't ring any bells. And how about now?" I joke back.

"I'm going solo."

"Why?" I ask. I'm honestly interested. It's not about the interview, but his face hardens for a second like he's not sure if he wants to tell me. I just met the guy though, so what am I expecting? Wow, what a smooth move. He knows I'm a reporter.

"Just want to try something different" he says smoothly running a hand through his hair.

"That's cool" I reply trying to sound as chill as he does. Although I can feel my face going slightly red. Thank God the lighting is dimmed in here so he can't see.

The waiter comes to the table. She's an older woman and she doesn't even recognize Nick which is kind of cool.

"What can I get for you?" she asks not even pulling out a pen to write our orders. I bet she's like the owner of this small place and has been working here forever, it's completely charming. I've never seen a place like this in LA before until now.

Nick looks at me to order first. He is like the biggest gentleman ever. It's so strange. Jake was so conceited; it surprises me when people aren't.

"Um spaghetti and meatballs please" I say. I don't think much about what I'm ordering. I'm in the mood so I get it. Food and weight are not something that ever bothered me. I know how to live a healthy lifestyle without denying myself the things that I want.

"I'll have the same" Nick says looking at me instead of the waitress. When she leaves he's still staring at me in amazement as if I've said something completely amusing.

"What?" I ask feeling myself blush.

"I've never seen a girl in Hollywood order carbs" he says.

I laugh, "I'm not like every other girl"

"I noticed" he says and gives me that smile again that makes my legs feel a little weak and my head a little fuzzy. Me and every other girl in the country and probably even the world.

We spend the rest of the night talking about random things. I tell him about Lilly, my best friend since forever and roommate, and he talks about his brothers and his family. It feels like I've known him forever and we slip into an easy playful banter while we get to know each other better. This is feeling more and more like a date…

At the end of the night, he drives me back to my apartment. I have no idea what to do. I'm completely panicking. Is he going to walk me to the door? Ask for my number? Does he even like me as much as I like him? In a friendly way of course, right?

He's a musician I remind myself, they're not exactly the most reliable when it comes to dating. Not that I want to date him! Ugh. This is so awkward. I don't even know what I'm thinking anymore.

"Make a left and it's the second one on the right" I tell him as we near my street.

"Well," Nick says after pulling up in front of my building, "I had a good time. You're a pretty interesting girl, Miley Stewart"

"Thanks" I say blushing again and grateful once again for the lighting and that it's dark in the car. I open the car door.

"Thanks for dinner," I add before closing the car door. I walk up to my building fully aware that he is still there and probably watching me. Please don't fall I tell myself. These heels are no joke.

But thankfully I make it to the building in one piece and only once I'm safely inside do I hear his car pull away. I can't wait to tell Lilly she is not going to believe this. In fact, I can barely believe it myself.

"Lilly" I call as I unlock the door to our apartment, "You will never guess who I just had dinner with"

She's sitting on the couch watching something on T.V. with her glasses on. Lilly is a writer for a well known celebrity blog. But the good kind, that only talks about stars in a positive way and only reports the facts. She barely ever has to leave our apartment and she doesn't have to dress up for work considering half the time she writes in her bed. Lucky bitch.

"Who?" she asks sitting up and looking interested. She loves my work stories. They usually involve the awkward things I read online about celebrities and then have to find out if they are true or not. But not today.

"Nick Jonas."

"Shut up! No way! Miley! Remember when you had a huge crush on him?"

Oh god, she remembers. This is embarrassing.

"That was just a teenage thing, Lilly," I say trying to pass it off as nothing.

"Okay, okay, tell me everything!"

I tell her the story and I can't stop smiling the whole time that I'm talking. He was so polite and nice, it was ridiculous.

"That is the most amazing story ever" Lilly says when I'm finished staring at me in awe.

"He didn't ask for my number though" I say frowning.

"Whatever" Lilly says, "You'll run into him again Miss hot shot reporter. And if not, you still have a fantastic story"

"Yeah" I say trying not to over think it, "I'm off to bed."

But as I fall asleep all I can hear is his voice saying '_you're a pretty interesting girl, Miley Stewart'…_

And that was how I first started falling for Nick Jonas.


	2. Chapter 2

When I wake up I can't remember if last night was dream or not. Did Nick Jonas really take me out to dinner?

My clothes from yesterday which belong to the E! closet are folded up neatly on my desk indicating that last night must have been real otherwise why would I have brought the clothes home with me?

I dress for work in a simple T shirt and jeans and leave my hair down and wavy. Who cares? I'm going to get fired today anyway. What do you wear to get fired in? Besides, even if I'm not fired, I'll probably be spending all day "researching" celebrities' lives, aka reading gossip blogs.

I arrive at work surprisingly early, oh well more time to look for a new job later this afternoon…

When I walk through the doors everyone is running around like crazy on the main floor. It's crazier than a Chanel sample sale, I swear.

"Miley!" my boss yells as she sees me, oh boy here we go, "Where have you been?"

"Umm…" I reply, eloquent, I know, but technically I'm early so what is she talking about?

"Never mind…" she dismisses me, "Get into hair and wardrobe now!" she commands.

"Why-"

"Now!" she yells before running off to do something else. What the hell is going on here?

I scramble quickly down the hallway desperate for anything that is distraction from my failure yesterday. As I walk down the hall I feel like I'm in highschool again and everyone is looking at me then turning to their friends and talking. Or maybe I'm just paranoid and naturally self conscious.

The second I walk into wardrobe clothes are thrown into my hands and I'm pushed into a dressing room.

I inspect the clothes that were given to me. Nice, expensive looking, designer dress pants and an also expensive looking white blouse.

"Tuck the blouse in!" Michael, one of the stylists, yells, "And hurry up! Katy needs you in makeup pronto!"

I'm not questioning anyone as I pull on the clothes. If I get to wear clothes as gorgeous as these who cares what I'm doing?

Michael adjusts my blouse and pants slightly then gives me a thumbs up and steers to into makeup and hair where I'm literally shoved into a styling seat.

Melissa, the hairdresser, better known as Mel, is touching the flat iron on the counter to see if its hot enough and Katy is already spreading thick foundation over my face.

"What is going on?" I cry as Mel pulls a brush through my long hair. I can't take it any longer, I'm just confused.

"Oh my God, Miles," Katy says as she brushes pink blush onto my cheeks, "So check this, Nick Jonas calls this morning. He apologizes about yesterday and says he'll do the interview today… on one condition."

My heart races the second I hear his name, and I'm starting to piece together what has happened. I'm holding my breath as I'm waiting for Katy to continue.

Mel is smirking as she starts straightening my hair piece by piece and I'm about to kill Katy. Although she's my best friend at the office, she can be a real jerk when she knows she has info that you want.

"Tell me!" I shriek. I can't take it any longer, I need to hear her say it.

"Okay," Katy says laughing, "Close your eyes and I'll tell you," the eye shadow brush sweeps over my eye lids as she says the words that make my heart practically stop, "He said he'll do another interview if, and only if, Miley Stewart was the one to do it."

My faces pulls into a wide smile and I can feel myself blushing like crazy.

"Ooh… Miley's blushing," Mel teases as she twists and pins my hair.

"Boss is like super impressed," Katy adds, "Nick said that you seemed like, what was it? 'The most capable person for the job' at least that's what I heard. Like, I can totally see you being the next main person for the network, maybe you'll even get to do the Daily 10!"

I can't even speak. Me, he only wants me to interview him. I'm trying to tell myself that it's just because he feels bad, but I just have that gut feeling in my stomach that it's something more. I know that I should be excited about getting another chance at my job and the opportunities that this is opening up for me, but honestly I'm just excited to see Nick again.

"Okay," Katy says swiping black mascara over my lashes, "You're done. Go get 'em girlie!"

I stand up and look in the full length mirror and I can't help but smile. The dress pants are absolutely amazing, hugging my ass and waist and then flaring out and meeting my stiletto boots. The dress shirt is just the perfect mixture of flirty and professionalism and it smoothes over my curves perfectly. Katy has done my makeup so that it looks natural, but my skin looks flawless and my eyes look bright and wide. My hair is in an elegant French knot. I hate to sound conceited, but damn, I look good.

I'm ushered into the interview room, there are two small comfy chairs angled slightly towards each other in front of the camera. In the background there's a picture of Nick's face and my heart skips slightly just seeing a picture of him.

"We're going to be starting in about ten minutes," the stage manager says, "Why don't you go talk to Mr. Jonas?" he gestures over to a table filled with bagels and donuts and other various types of food.

Nick's back is to me as I walk towards him. My stomach is bubbling nervously and I'm not exactly sure why. When he turns around it feels like the world is going in slow motion and I'm noticing every movement he makes.

His face just seems to light up when he sees me and I can't help but smile too.

"Miley," he says happily as he reaches out his hand.

"No," I say, and believe me, I do not know where this confidence is coming from, "I don't shake hands… I hug."

I open my arms and he slides into them easily and gives me a short tight squeeze before letting go. I can still feel his arms around me even after he lets go and pulls away.

"Are you ready to do this?" he asks me still smiling, something you don't see from him often on TV or in magazines.

"Yeah, the question is are you?"

He laughs at me and I start laughing too.

"Bring it on," he replies.

"Oh, I'd watch out, I've got some pretty tough questions for you." The truth is, all the questions are listed on the teleprompter, but who cares.

"I think I'll be able to handle them," he says smugly, but you can tell that he's just kidding.

"Nick? Miley? Places!" the stage manager calls and we quickly rush to our seats.

"Well, that wasn't so painful," Nick remarks once we're finished the interview. Honestly, it didn't even feel like an interview. It felt like we were just getting to know each other. Even if half the stuff he said was probably just bullshit for the cameras.

"Miley!" My boss calls, and I'm just waiting for her to insult me, "Great work, great work, you can take the rest of the day off, you've worked enough."

She quickly walks away after sharing that information with me.

"So you're off for the rest of the day?" Nick asks me even though he obviously knows the answer.

"Uh, I guess so?" I say. My boss who I didn't even realize knew my name until today was giving me the day off?

"Do you-" Nick starts, "Do you want to, uh, maybe grab a coffee or something?"

Not for the first time since I've met him, my head is wondering what he wants while my heart is just telling me to say yes. I can't even begin to fathom that he might be into me when he's around so many beautiful actresses, musicians, and models all the time, so obviously I can't think of why he would want to hang out with me.

"Yeah sure," I find myself saying and he smiles as if he's won a prize and I start blushing.

We walk down to a small café and a waiter comes over to take our order. Nick gets a black coffee and I get the usual sugary latte that can fuel me for at least the next six hours.

"So," Nick says, "You didn't ask me the most common interview question."

"Oh?" I say wondering what that is, but not wanting to come out and say it.

"Yeah, its 'are you single?'"

"Well, are you?" I ask and I'm surprised even in myself that I feel comfortable asking that. Around most guys, even not famous ones, I clam up and can't think of anything to say especially something that sounds flirty or coy.

"Is this for the interview?" he asks teasingly.

"Oh, of course, I'm not interested in knowing at all," I tease back.

"Well then, honestly, I am," he says.

I'm surprised. For the past few months all the tabloids have been saying that he was dating the pop sensation Mikayla. All the evidence seemed pretty plausible to me, but I still remember how the industry works and how they can twist everything into a more interesting and scandalous story. I remember how they once claimed that I (as Hannah) was dating my own brother.

"You're surprised," he remarks.

"Oh well, I mean, I thought you were dating Mikayla."

"So you've been reading about me?" he says smirking.

"No!" I cry almost defensively even though I don't mean too, "Well, I mean, yes, but you see, that's part of my job… reading about celebrities' lives and stuff…"

"Relax," he says chuckling at my overreaction, "I was joking, are you?"

"Am I what?" I ask him, genuinely confused.

"Single," he clarifies.

"Oh," I say looking down and blushing, "Yes, I guess I am."

Now it's his turn to have a look of slight shock on his face.

"You're surprised," I say mimicking him.

"Well," he says looking nervous and rubbing his neck, "It's just that you're a really pretty girl, and you're nice so I'm surprised that no one has snatched you up yet…"

He called me pretty! My heart is beating in my ears and it's like the earth has stopped for a moment. I'm taking in his words and all of the sudden I want nothing more than to lean in and kiss him…

"Here are you drinks!" our waiter says places them on the table.

"Uh, thanks," Nick says startled out of our conversation just as I was.

I take a sip of my drink and avoid looking at him at all costs even though I can feel his eyes on my face. The chemistry between is tangible and I can't remember anything feeling this right with a person in a long time. The intensity of his eyes on me is boring right through me. I can't handle this, its too much, too fast.

"I really should go," I say suddenly because all I want is to get out of here. I'm completely overwhelmed and I need to get out of there.

"You have a surprise day off," he says dubiously, "What could you possibly have to do?"

"I have about a million things I could be doing at my apartment," I say which is kind of true, but what kind of person gives up coffee with Nick Jonas to clean? Oh God, I must really be losing it.

"Oh," he says. Does he look disappointed? Could he actually be upset that I have to go? Why do I care? I just met the guy!

But then he asks for my number and I can't say no so I recite the numbers and then pull out my wallet to find money.

"No, no" he says gesturing for me to put my wallet away, "I invited you, my treat."

I open my mouth to argue, but when I see the look on his face I realize that it would be pointless so I put on my politest face and thank him.

As I walk out the door I'm mentally slapping myself on the forehead. What the hell did I just do?


	3. Chapter 3

"When can i see you again? - Nick"

My heart races and my breathing slows down when I receive Nick's text message. It hasn't even been a week since I've last seen him, no guy I've ever been with has gotten back to me this fast. Especially after leaving him so quickly on a date.

I quickly open my phone to send him a message. I'll admit in the past few days I've been thinking about Nick A LOT. And not just because he's famous. He's nice and funny and just acts so normal you have to know that he's a good guy.

"New club on sunset at 10. be there." I text him back.

Zero is THE place to be if you're anybody these days. And considering Lilly is a famous blogger and I work for E! News we can usually worm our away onto guest lists at these kinds of clubs. I'm not a huge partier, but I love dancing which I don't get to do as much anymore since I've given up Hannah.

"You really yet Miles?" Lilly calls from the kitchen/living room area of our apartment.

"Be right there!" I call from my room. Lilly and I got this apartment on a great deal. It's small, but it's not like the two of us need a lot of room. It's a two bedroom two bathroom apartment with a nice sized kitchen and a living room area.

I take one last look at myself in the mirror, glad that I took the time to look good even before I knew Nick might be coming. I'm wearing a short white dress that's loose at the top and around the sleeves then tightens around my thighs. Definitely heart attack inducing, espeically with my newly tanned skin and dark wavy hair.

I walk into the room and Lilly let's out a joke wolf-whistle. She's looking just as good in a flirty red dress.

We take my black convertible to Sunset Avenue, parking a few blocks away from the club. The line is going all the way around the building, but we cut straight to the front of the line getting jealous stares from all the people in line.

The club is dark and the music is pounding and I'm already shaking my hips feeling the beat. All I want is to get out on the dance floor with or without a partner. I almost forget that Nick could possibly be here right now.

When I'm on that dance floor everything just seems to go away. My mind feels blissfully empty except for the beat of the music and the movement of my whole body. Guys try to grab me, but I ignore all of them focusing solely on moving in the way that the particular song is calling for.

Several minutes into my dancing I feel eyes on me from across the room. I don't know how I know, but I just know that someone is watching me. I look up to see a guy in dark jeans and a button down shirt with a baseball cap on and instantly recognize him as Nick.

Our eyes meet and I smile, gesturing him over. I can't wait to feel his body against mine while we dance. Dancing is the best way to get to know someone. He shakes his head no. Oh no. Not one of those guys who "doesn't dance".

I walk, or more like dance, my way over to him against the wall.

"Hey wallflower," I say enjoying how close I have to be to him in order for him to hear me over the music, "Won't you join me for a dance?"

He chuckles softly and my heart is melting slowly. I know its wrong to like him so much already, but I can't help it.

"I'm not really the dancing type," he tells me, "But would you like a drink?"

"If I let you buy me a drink will you dance with me?" I ask flirtatiously.

"Maybe," he flirts back and I grab his hand leading him to the bar. Little tingles are shooting up my arm from his hand making it hard to focus on anything.

"What do you want?" he asks me.

"Cranberry with vodka," I say instantly naming my favorite drink. He smirks at me, knowing that it's cliched, but who cares, I'm here with Nick Jonas.

"A cranberry with vodka for the lady," he tells the bartender before ordering a beer for himself. When the drinks are finished he fumbles with money and hands me my martini glass.

"Thanks," I say shooting him a smile and taking a long sip. Ah, lovely. Even that quick sip of alcohol had my confidence rising.

We stand there awkwardly for a few moments sipping our drinks before he finally says something.

"I'm not really a club kind of guy," he admits blushing slightly. Adorable.

"I'm more into the dancing scene," I tell him and he nods.

"So how about that dance?" I ask him and he nods. We both put down our half finished drinks and I lead him out the dance ofloor.

First we stand face to face, my arms around his neck loosely and his hands on my hips. I start moving t the bass, but he's standing still completely stiff.

"Relax," I whisper in his ear and lower my hands to his hips showing him how to move them with mine. Our foreheads are pressed together and he's looking straight into my eyes. My breath catches in my throat. This is too much. I turn around quickly so that we're now grinding in sync his hands gripping my sides tightly.

Song after song plays and we're still moving together. I turn my head slightly to see his face and next thing I know, his lips are on mine. We're kissing intensely, roughly, using tongues right away. Making out on the dancefloor. My hand travels up into his hair and his hands grip me even tighter pulling my back closer against him.

The kiss is lustful, passionate and completely inappropriate, but we don't care. All that matters is our tongues battling against each other.

"WOAH!" I hear a familiar voice yell. Lilly. Shit. I break away from Nick to see her standing in front of us.

"Uh, what was-" Lilly starts, but I give her a look that says shut up and then an look that says SOS, a look that we've perfected since going to clubs when one of us is stuck with a guy we don't like.

"Miley! We, uh, we have to go, to that, um, thing!" Lilly says and I roll my eyes at her terrible lying. Somethings never change.

"Oh right!," I exclaim, "Sorry Nick, I really have to go now..."

He's looking between us confused as if he's not sure as if to believe us or not. I really should stop doing this to him. Leaving when things get too intense, but I can't help it.

I've barely even known him two weeks and we've only hung out for a few short hours at a time, mostly work-related, but the connection between is strong. It's terrifying. I don't want to let myself fall this fast and if that means I have to remove myself from the situation then so be it.

"Holy shit!" Lilly exclaims for the millionth time as we're driving home, "You and Nick Jonas down and dirty on the dance floor?"

I'm blushing as I'm driving, but I also can't keep the smile off of my face.

"Shut up," I tell her, "It was just a kiss."

"No, that was so much more than a kiss. I've seen you kiss guys before. I've seen you kiss Jake, I've seen you kiss Lucas, I've seen you kiss Travis, I've even seen you kiss random guys you've only known for a few hours, but that kiss with Nick? That was so much more than a kiss."

The worst part is, I know she's right. Kissing him made every part of my body feel hot with desire. But somehow it was more than lust too. Like I knew I could also be happy just sitting with him and talking. My head is so confused and I'm sure he feels the same way since I keep running away from him.

I make up my mind that if he does call me again (although now he probably thinks that I hate him, making it unlikely) and we go out, I promise not to run away even if it gets intense. I haven't had a real relationship in years, so why not try one now? What do I have to lose?

If I didn't think that Nick didn't feel the same way as me, I do now. There he is standing in front of my desk at work with a single purple daisy, a perfect flower, not as serious as a rose, but still beautiful.

"Hey," he says sheepishly as if he's unsure why he's there.

"Nick!" I say my voice squeaking. Ever so graceful, as usual. "What are you doing here?"

"Well," Nick says, "You rushed out so quick last night, I didn't get a chance to thank you for that dance."

So we're going to pretend that we didn't make out. Which I guess is a good thing, that would just be slightly awkward. Obviously he came here for another reason though. I mean he could have just sent me a message or called me, yet here is standing in front of me.

"No problem," I say with a smile. I can't think of anything clever or witty to say right now even though I'm racking my brain for something.

"Also," he says nervously, "I wanted to know if maybe you'd want to go to dinner with me? Tonight?"

The little voice inside my head is screaming. Here it is. My chance to make things up to him. I quickly sift through my datebook in my head, nope nothing planned for tonight.

"I'd like that," I say grinning at him and he smiles back.

"I'll pick you up at seven, is that okay?"

"Yeah, that sounds great," I reply, "Do you need my address?"

"Um," Nick says, "I've been to your house before, so I think I'm good."

Oh, right. He's been to my house the last time he dropped me off. Only a week ago, yet it feels like I've known him so much longer.

"Okay, well, I'll you see you tonight, okay?" I say smiling.

"Yep," Nick says rocking back and forth on his feet nervously, "Bye." he turns around and walks away and I watch him enjoying the way his body moves.

My hands are shaking as I'm sitting in my room putting on my makeup. When Nick called me earlier to confirm, he told me to dress casual, so I'm wearing light jeans with carefully placed rips, a red flowy tank top, and black flip flops. My hair is curly and down.

I hate that I'm nervous about this date. I haven't felt this way since high school. Something about Nick makes me feel like I'm young again and crazy in love.

The bell rings and Lilly buzzes him up. I take a deep breath and start down the hall as Lilly calls my name.

"Hey," Nick says when he sees me. He's holding a bouquet of beautiful orange lilies, "You look great."

"Thanks, you do too," I say. He is looking rather delicious in simple jeans, converse, and a plain white tee. It's not fair that a guy can look so hot like that while a girl has to dress up to look good.

He hands me the flowers and I smile, "These are beautiful, thanks."

"No problem," Nick says smiling, "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah, I guess so," I tell him smiling too. Lilly takes the flowers from me and tells us to have a good time and soon we're in the elevator and getting into his car.

"Now, this place is kind of far away," Nick says as he backs out of his parking spot, "But I promise you'll love it, okay?"

"Okay," I say my voice quivering slightly because I'm nervous.

"I haven't been on a date in a long time, so you'll have to excuse me if I do something wrong," he says taking his eyes off the road for a second to look at me.

"Me neither," I reply blushing as I say it. Wow, now I look like a complete loser.

"Well, then I guess we'll figure this out together," he says and even though I can't see his face, I can imagine the smile on it. We continue to talk about our lives and just get to know each other.

About half an hour later he parks on the side of the street in seemingly the middle of nowhere.

"Just trust me, okay?" Nick says after letting me out of the car. He grabs my hand and my heart flutters. He guides me to a small path that I hadn't noticed before and we climb around some shrubs and rocks before we make it to a beautiful secluded beach.

Now, I know this is cliched, but if you've ever had a date on a beach, you'll know how truly wonderful it is.

Spread out a safe distance from the water is a checkered picnic blanket with a basket on it. In the sand are several unlit candles and the sun is slowly setting over the water. It's beautiful and it takes my breath away. I make sure to memorize every detail so that I'll always remember this moment in my life.

"Wow, this is wonderful, Nick," I tell him as we both sit down on the blanket.

"Thanks," he smiles at me and opens the picnic basket and pulls out sushi, "Spicy tuna roll for the lady?" he offers me.

"How did you know?" I ask taking my favorite sushi into my hands while he continues to pull out his sushi, two small bowls, a tiny bottle of soy sause and two sets of chopsticks.

"Um," he blushes, "Actually... I asked your friend at work... the stylist?"

"Katy?" I ask laughing, "Wow. Thanks."

We start to eat and this sushi is the best I've eaten, I swear. We sit in silence for a few moments before he speaks up.

"Okay, I have something to tell you."

My body instantly tenses and I nod for him to continue.

"That day when I met you? At that bar in the hotel?"

"Mmhmm?"

"Well, the second you sat down, you caught my eye," Nick says looking up at me, his eyes squinting in the light from the sunset.

My breath quickens and I put down my food as he continues.

"I was working up something to say to you when you started cursing my name," he shook his head chuckling lightly and I blush.

"Yeah, sorry about-"

"And then it gave me the perfect opportunity to talk to you," he interrupts me as if he knows if he doesn't say this now, he never will, "And then somehow, even though I swear I'm not that smooth normally, I asked you to dinner and found out you were as charming and interesting as you were beautiful."

The sun has almost fully set now and I'm glad because my face is so red right now. After taking almost a full minute to recover from what he just told me. He thinks I'm charming. And interesting. and _beautiful._ Oh, my God.

"I have a confession to make too," I tell him a joking smile on my face.

"Oh?" he asks looking at me and smiling too even though I haven't said anything yet.

"If you were to go to my dad's house, you'd probably see some pictures of yourself as a teenager on the wall."

He laughs, but not in a way that's making fun of me, but in a friendly way.

"And then," I said mimicking him, "I got to interview you and I thought I completely fucked it up. And then you asked me to dinner and I found out that you were normal and down to earth and really sweet."

Nick smiles and shifts closer to me. He turns his face towards me and I do the same, time seems to slow down and I'm noticing every freckle on his face as we move closer and closer until we both close our eyes and our lips meet in a sweet kiss, completely unlike the one we shared on the dance floor less than a day ago.

We both pull away with goofy smiles on our face before continuing our meal. The sun has fully set now and the stars are starting to show up in the sky. Nick quickly takes a lighter and lights the candles that surround the blanket, creating a warm glow around us.

It gets cold and I start shivering and he instantly pulls out another blanket and wraps it around me.

"I figured you wouldn't know how to dress since I wanted the whole beach thing to be a surprise," he says as he makes sure it securely around my shoulders, "Are you ready for desert?"

"That depends on what it is, of course," I say joking and he pulls out two slices of double chocolate cake with fresh strawberries, once again my favorite.

"Did you ask about this too?" I ask him incredulously as he hands me one of the pieces.

"Uh, no," Nick says, "This one is actually my favorite..."

"Well, Mr. Jonas, you have pretty good taste," I take a bite and it's the richest most delicious cake I've ever had and the strawberries are perfectly juicy and sweet.

"Obviously," he says, with a faux-cocky voice, "I picked you."

I smile at his compliment. Once we're finished eating desert we clear up the stuff and just lay back on the blanket staring at the stars. We start far apart but we inch closer and closer to each other until my head is resting on his shoulder and his arm is around me.

Around ten we both grudgingly get up. He grabs one side of the blanket and I grab the other and we each bring our two corners together. When we meet in the middle to fold it again, he places another small kiss on my lips.

I hold the blanket and he holds the basket so that we can hold hands as we leave the beach. He pops the trunk and we put the stuff in before he opens the door for me and I get in.

The ride home is spent in a comfortable silence and every once in a while we catch each others' eyes and smile. He pulls up at my house and I frown because this night is so perfect I don't want it to end.

He walks me all the way up to the door of my apartment.

"So," he says shuffling his feet, "What are you doing this Friday?"

"Um, going out with you?" I guess with a smirk.

"Good answer," he says before swooping in to give me one last kiss. It lasts a little longer than the other ones and my heart is speeding a mile a minute once we stop, "I had a really great time tonight. I'll call you," he says with a wink and he turns away as I unlock the door and go in.

Lilly is sitting there waiting for me and she sits up when she sees me waiting for my story. I stand there in silence for a minute just taking in what happened tonight. I must look upset or something because she gives me a concerned look and I break out into the smile I've been holding it.

"Oh. My. God." I say slowly before letting out a squeal and telling Lilly in detail about our perfect first date.


	4. Chapter 4

"Hello?" I say into the phone with a smile on my face. Nick's calling, of course. It's been about a month since we've started dating and things are better than ever. We have at least two dates a week (usually more) and we talk on the phone almost every night and text basically all day.

"Okay, don't freak out, just hear me out okay?" is the first thing Nick says, which of course makes me freak out.

"Okay..." I say confused. I have no idea what he's going to say. Oh my God, this could be awful. He's a drug dealer. He's a convict. He wants to take a break. Oh, my God, he's breaking up with me! I'm completely freaking out.

"So, I'm heading to my parents house in Texas this weekend..." Nick starts. Oh that's it? Does he think I can't spend one weekend without him? Wow, that's cocky. "I know we haven't been dating that long... but I was just wondering if maybe, you wanted to, uh, come with me? And meet them?"

I'm speechless. Oh my God, he wants me to meet his parents. Um, wow this is a big step. I'm not sure if...

"You don't have to," he says panicking at my silence, "I mean, I don't want to pressure you. They're nice, I swear. But you don't have to. I mean really. Things are just kind of tense at my house, I thought maybe bringing you might ease some of it, but really don't feel pressured to..."

Aw. He wants me to be there to help him out? How can I say no to that? And if Nick's family is half as nice as he is, it can't be half bad.

"Of course, I'll go," I say without giving it another thought.

"Really?" he breaths sounding shocked and surprised, but relieved and happy at the same time.

"Really." I say and next thing I know I'm packing for a weekend in Texas, not knowing what to expect.

After riding Nick's private plane, yes _private plane_, to Texas from LA, Nick rents a car to drive us to his parents house.

I'm super nervous to meet his parents. First impressions are everything and guys tend to look to their parents for approval, especially ones that are as family oriented as Nick.

I look down at my outfit. I have no idea what to wear to meet someones parents. This is the first time I've been in a relationship serious enough to. Except with Jake, but that was high school so it's completely different. I'm wearing dark straight jeans that aren't too tight and a pretty pink top with a black jacket and black boots. My hair is straightened and smooth.

I'm so nervous, but the smile on Nick's face when we pull up at the house is enough to relax me.

"You ready?" he asks me and I gulp and nod. He opens the door for me before going to the back and popping the trunk to pull out his suitcase and mine. He waves off any attempt I make to help him.

He brings both of our suitcases to the door and opens it without knocking. He places our bags in the foyer before grabbing my hand and leading me into the kitchen.

At his touch, my breathing becomes more regular and I feel ready to meet his parents.

We walk into the huge kitchen and everyone is standing around just hanging out and eating chips and salsa, very casual. I'm the most dressed person there, but I've always been taught it's better to be over dressed than under dressed.

"Hey guys!" Nick says coming into the room and everyone turns to look at us. I can already feel my face turning red.

"Nick!" his mother cries, and instantly engulfs him in a hug. He dropped my hand to give his mom a hug back and kiss her cheek. You can tell that they're very close which is adorable. I've never heard a guy talk about his mom the way Nick does.

"Hey mom," he says after pulling away, he takes my hand again, "Guys, this is my girlfriend, Miley."

"Hey," I squeak out and give a small wave to everyone in the room. Mr. Jonas is sitting standing around the island and he smiles at me. Kevin, Nick's older brother, and his wife of two years, Danielle, also smile and Kevin gives me a wave back. Nick's younger brother, Frankie is also there. The only person who is missing is Joe, I wonder where...

I'm pushed out of my thoughts when I feel arms wrapped around me in a tight, motherly hug, something I haven't felt since my own mother died.

"Hi, Miley. It's so great to finally meet you," she says smiling at me.

"Thanks. You too, Mrs. Jonas," I reply shyly. She seems like a really friendly woman, someone I could get used to easily.

"Oh call me Denise," she says as if it's absurd that I would call her Mrs. Jonas, "This is Nick's father, Paul and his two brothers, Kevin and Frankie. That lovely woman is Kevin's wife, Danielle."

It's adorable how close they all are and how comfortable they are with each other. They're like this big happy family, just like in TV and movies.

There's a moment of nice to meet yous and then a small silence settled over everyone.

"Well," Denise says breaking it, "Why don't you show Miley to your room and bring your stuff up?"

"Oh right," Nick says and turns to me, grabbing my hand again, "Later guys."

We make a quick stop to grab our bags and this time I convince him to let me take my own. We walk up the stairs and I'm kind of nervous. Nick and I are sharing a room? I know that I shouldn't be a baby about this, I'm twenty four after all, but it just seems kind of soon and awkward. I don't want to say anything though lest he thinks I'm a prude.

"Now," Nick says seriously as we get to the end of the hall, "You're about to go where no other girl, besides my mom, has gone before."

I giggle, "Aww, Nick you've never had a girl in your room?"

"Nope," he says, "This is serious. I never let anyone in my room unless they're really special."

I smile at him and he opens the door. The walls are a dark blue-gray color and his furniture is dark stained wood. A huge bed with a giant head board is in the center and there's a desk on the left and a dresser on the right. There's also a door in the back that's open and leads to a bathroom with gray tile. In the corner there's a single acoustic guitar on a stand.

"So here it is," Nick says gesturing grandly to the room.

"Impressive," I joke walking around taking it in. On his desk are pictures of him and his family and a few of him and his brothers from when they were first starting out. I blushed when I came to a picture of his brothers and Hannah Montana. Nick's arm is around Hannah's (my) waist and her (my) arm is around his shoulder.

He notices me staring at it and comes over. He's smiling as he takes it off the shelf of his desk. I freeze wondering if he's going to spot a resemblance or something. Not that we look that much alike anymore since I'm much older.

"Ah, Hannah Montana," he says smiling at me teasingly, "The second prettiest girl I've ever met."

"Oh yeah?" I ask him flirtatiously, "So who's the first?"

He puts the photo down and turns to face me and pulls me close and places a chaste kiss on my lips that still leaves me breathless, "You" he whispers and my heart is in a puddle on the floor.

Dinner with Nick's family seems completely natural. It's so unlike how my family dinners were, seeing as there were only three of us and didn't have that much in common.

Nick, Kevin, and Frankie have to turn everything into a competition, from who likes their mom's pasta the best to who can eat their food the fastest. Paul tries to get them to stop while Denise laughs at their antics.

Danielle, who is sitting next to me, keeps looking at me and smiling. Finally she says something to me.

"So they're a little crazy, but I really, really do love all of them."

I smile at her sincerity. I can see why and I can see myself falling in love not only with Nick, but with his whole family.

"How long have you and Nick been going out?" she asks me.

"Um, almost a month now," I say blushing because I know that's not a long time at all.

"Wow, seriously?" she asks looking surprised, "I never would have guessed that. You guys look like you've been going out forever. I've never seen Nick like this around the girl and I've been friends with their family for a long time."

I smile at her, "Thanks, I really like him."

"Danielle!" Kevin yells suddenly, ending our conversation, "Tell Nick how I did like 100 push ups the other day!"

"Oh he did," Danielle said smirking, "In the span of the whole day. How much did you average Kev? Like five in a row?"

Kevin rolled his eyes, but grabbed her hand, "It's okay, I'm going to forgive you for that one. But only because I love you."

She smiles at him and he smiles back and I wonder if Nick and I look like that. In love. We've never said 'I love you' to each other, but sometimes I feel myself almost letting it slip. Do I love him? I know that I really, really, really like him and it seems as if he feels the same way. I mean, I'm not going to get upset over it or anything, but I'm not going to lie, it would be wonderful to hear those words coming from his lips.

Nick catches my eye from my left and he smiles at me and squeezes my knee gently under the table.

"You're doing great," he whispers, "They love you. I told you they would."

That night after dinner and dessert and just hanging out watching his family rag on each other, but still love and respect each other, I changed PJ bottoms and a plain white T shirt before I walked back into Nick's room. He's sitting on his desk checking his email on his MacBook.

To be honest, I think he's somewhat addicted to the computer, but it's not like I'd tell him that. He's a true workaholic, but in the best way possible.

He looks adorable, as always, in plaid pajama bottoms that are low on his hips and a faded grey T-shirt that looks so soft I want to rub my face against it.

"Hey," I say softly just to let him know that I'm in the room.

"Hi," he says smiling and looking up at me after logging off his computer, "I was just about to head downstairs," Wait, what?, "Good-night" he pulls me into a hug and kisses me on the cheek.

I think he noticed my confused expression because he blushed and started to explain himself.

"I just thought it might be weird to share a bed," he stumbled out, "I didn't want to move too fast... we've only been going out like a month, I didn't want you to get the wrong idea..." he rambled adorably.

He turned around and got ready to leave. Suddenly, even though I was freaking out about having to share a bed with him I don't want him to leave either. All of the sudden all I want to do is kiss him. And not like the simple pecks that we've shared in the past, I mean _really_ kiss him just like that night on the dance floor when we had just met.

"Wait," I said and rushed next to him, "Don't leave," I grabbed his arm and leaned up to kiss him straight on the lips, hard.

When I started to pull away, Nick wrapped his strong arms around my waist and pulled me in for an even more intense kiss. It's like he knows exactly what I'm thinking.

My head is spinning and my blood pressure is rising drastically, I can hardly breathe. His kisses are unlike anything else in the world. When he slides his tongue into my mouth I can't even protest because I want him so badly. Somehow even though we're going fast, he's kissing me slowly and it's so hot I can't even believe it.

When we finally break for air we don't let go of each other. He's looking straight into my eyes and I swear for a minute the world just stopped as we drank in each other.

In a matter of seconds I made a decision.

I raised my hands into the air and he looked at me in awe.

"Are you serious?" Nick whispered even though there was no need to.

I nod my head and he slowly peels my shirt over my head and I'm left in a plain white bra.

If I had known we would be doing this I probably would have worn something a little sexier, but somehow it doesn't matter because Nick's looking at me like I have the most expensive lingerie from France on.

He kisses me again, so slowly I can hardly bare it. How can he be so calm when all I want is to devour him?

Now, I've only had sex with one other guy before and that was Jake Ryan, my highschool boyfriend. I loved him, but having sex with him felt like doing him a favor more than a pleasurable experience for me.

That was so not the case with Nick. I found myself kissing him back roughly and pulling his shirt off before pushing him onto the bed. He let me take control for a minute, but soon he was flipping me over so I was on my back while he hovered over me. My bra was soon forgotten on the floor. Nick slowly started placing hot, wet kisses all over my torso. He's going so slow I think I might go insane, how does he have so much self control?

"Nick," I gasped out, but he still doesn't stop his relentless oral attack on my body, "Nick," my voice is ragged and hoarse from lack of breath, "Nick, please," One syllable words seem to be the only thing I can manage at this point.

"Are you sure?" he mumbles against my skin while sliding his hands into my pajama bottoms.

"Yes!" I cry out and finally he stops going excruciatingly slow. In a matter of seconds, we're both naked and he's pushing into me.

Every millimeter of movement is insanely pleasurable, he's going slowly again, but now it feels good instead of torturous.

I don't know how long we're going at it, but soon, too soon, my face is buried into his neck and I'm moaning his name into his ear and his face is pressed into my hair and he's making some pretty interesting noises of his own.

We both finish off around the same time, crying out onto each other to muffle the sound from his family. He rolls off me and we're both breathing heavily before falling asleep exhausted.

I wake up to the feeling of soft lips on my back.

Nick's body was curled around mine from behind and he was leaving light kisses on my shoulders.

I opened my eyes and turned to look at him.

"Wow," he says breathily looking at me, "You look beautiful."

I want to make a joke about how I look beautiful all the time, but he looks so sincere I can't open my mouth. I start blushing like crazy because I know that he really means it by the way he's looking at me.

"Thanks," I say softly and peck him on the lips, "I should shower."

I got up and walked towards his adjoining bathroom. I can feel his eyes all over me, but instead of being embarrassed or nervous, I feel confidant and sexy.

I almost gasp out loud when I look into the mirror. Small purple-y marks dot my upper body. How could something that felt so amazing leave bruises?

Although I'm sure I must look like crap, I'm surprised to find that I look, well, radiant.

Maybe I really do look good or maybe Nick's compliment had gone to my head, but I'm practically glowing. My eyes are bright even though I've just woken up nad my skin looks great. My hair is tousled and messy, but it looks like it's supposed to be that way.

I smile at myself before getting in the shower. It's almost a shame to wash Nick off of me like this, but then again, he's right out in the other room. Once I'm done we could always...

Oh God. What am I thinking? I can't believe we had sex! I've barely known him a month! He hasn't even told me he loves me. This is so awful! How could I have let his happen? And in his parents house? That is just wrong. What have I always been told? Why buy the cow when you can have the milk for free? Seriously, I was not raised this way.

Even as I'm thinking this though, I'm not really believing it. Being with Nick felt natural and perfect, not awkward or scary. Besides, he treats me well and I really, really like him, maybe even love him. Last night was perfect, he's perfect, we're perfect.

When I emerge from the bathroom in a white towel Nick is once again checking his email. He's at his desk in just his boxers and I'm practically drooling. He looks up and I smile involuntarily.

Nick smiles at me, one of those cute little ones that starts off small, but then becomes huge. Those smiles that I die for.

"Let's go out for dinner tonight," he says softly, "Just you and me."

I crinkle my face, "What about your family?" I ask. I'm not going to be the one who they had for dragging away their son when he comes to visit them.

"They'll understand," Nick says smiling and getting up. He pulls me into a quick embrace and kisses my head before stepping into the bathroom himself.

I change quickly into simple jeans and a T-shirt before heading downstairs to see if I can help with breakfast.

I walk into the kitchen to see Denise making pancakes on a griddle while the Beatles are playing through the kitchen's sound system.

"Good morning," I say to her and she looks up smiling at me, "Can I help you with anything?"

"Now Miley," she says with a smile, "What kind of hostess would I be if I made my guest make breakfast? Nick would never forgive me."

"Please," I say to her, "I grew up with just my dad and brother, cooking is something I'm used to."

"Ah, another one who was surrounded by all boys," Denise says laughing, "Alright, you can watch the bacon."

Denise and I actually have a lot in common considering we are both used to being around all guys. She's funny and nice which is a relief since I've heard so many horror stories about girls who have met their boyfriend's mother and of course there are all those "mother-in-law" jokes and cliches.

"So," she says adding cooked pancakes to the stack on the counter, "You and Nicholas seem pretty close."

I blush and say "Mmm" in non-committal way.

"He really likes you," she says looking at me and smiling, "I've seen my Nicholas with lots of girls, but he never looked at them quite the way he looks at you."

"Thanks," I say blushing even more at her compliment.

"And more importantly," she says turning to me and smiling, "I like you too, Miley Stewart. You're a great addition to our family."

Okay, it should not be possible to blush this hard. I can literally feel my face heating up. I must be red as a tomato at this point. Tears are forming in my eyes, just being accepted this way makes me so emotional.

Denise looks over at me and sees my tears even though I'm trying to hide them, "Oh Miley, what's wrong?" she asks putting down the spatula and coming over to me.

"Nothing," I say trying to wipe my tears away with my wrist. She pulls me into another motherly hug which only makes the tears fall faster, but they're the good kind.

_All you need is love, all you need is love, love is all you need... _the radio plays softly in the background.

Denise continues to rock me gently almost as if she was my own mother, not just my boyfriend's mother.

"It's just- My mom- I didn't- I miss her," I blabber out as if that's an explanation, but Denise seems to understand completely.

"Shh," she comforts me, "It's okay to miss her, it's okay to cry."

I'm falling for Nick's family even faster than I'm falling for him

although at this point I'm almost convinced that I'm in love with him.

Soon, my tears are subsiding and only then does Denise let go of me.

"Sor-"

"Don't apologize," Denise interrupts and she smiles at me, "You're a wonderful woman, Miley. Nick is lucky."

I smile and wipe away the last remnants of tears from my face before turning back to the food while humming along to the background music. My emotions are all over the places this morning, sometimes that happens when you just feel too much, but maybe it's a good thing to feel this much. It proves that you're real.

"Oh look," Nick says coming into the kitchen in jeans and plain white t shirt, "My two favorite women in the kitchen together."

He walks over to his mom and kisses her on the cheek and gives her a hug. It's completely adorable. Then he comes up to me and wraps his arms around my waist while I flip the bacon. When I'm finished he pecks me lightly on the lips.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Denise smiling at us. I'm so lucky. I have it so good with Nick. His family seems to really like me and they're so nice it's easy to be around them. I can't believe that it's only been a month that we've been dating and just a little over a month since I met him.

Danielle comes down shortly and we shoo Nick out of the kitchen for some girl time. Of course, I've always had Lilly and other girl friends, but I don't really remember having a mom and I've never had a sister, so this experience is completely different. Once we're done cooking we place all the food out on the table and call the guys.

Everyone sits down and we all clasp hands while Mr. Jonas, I mean, Paul, says a quick prayer. We all say Amen and dig in eating.

"This bacon is perfect, Miley," Frankie says complimenting me, "Mom, _always_ burns it."

"We'll maybe," Denise says shaking her head at her youngest son, "If you would help me with breakfast, I wouldn't have to be watching about three things at once and it wouldn't get burnt."

Everyone laughed, including Frankie. That's what I've noticed about the Jonas family. They joke around and tease each other, but you can still tell that they really love and respect each other. I love my daddy and brother, that's no lie, but my brother and I never had this kind of effortless relationship, we always fought, and not necessarily in a good natured way.

Nick squeezed my knee again, just like the night before but his hand lingered there a little longer and he winked at me. I smile back at him and rub his leg gently under the table.

He puts and arm around me shoulder and pulls me in kissing my temple. His whole family is smiling at us and all of sudden all I want is to be welcome at this table forever.


	5. Chapter 5

I walked down the stairs in a simple white Ralph Lauren eyelet dress and cork wedges. My hair is hanging in its natural waves and pined with a bobby pin on the side. My make up is simple, using pinks and browns. Natural, just the way Nick likes it and tonight he's the only one I have to impress.

Nick turns around to look at me, he left the room while I was getting dressed, and his smile widens by about a mile. I love when he looks at me like that, I always feel like I've just won Miss America or something. Like I'm beautiful.

"Wow," he breathes out, looking me up and down, "You look amazing."

Nick is looking pretty amazing himself in tan dress pants and a blue shirt with a tie. His hair is slightly gelled, but still looking natural and easy to run my fingers through, just the way I like it.

"Thanks," I say smiling too, "You look nice, too."

"Are you ready to go?" Nick asks offering me his hand. Nodding, I take it and feel the familiar tingles run up my arm. You think that maybe I'd be used to it by now, but it still makes my heart race any time he's near me. I hope this feeling never fades, no matter how long I know him.

We drive to a small family-owned Greek restaurant. It's quiet inside and no one seems to notice that there's a famous rock star with his girlfriend. So far, we've managed to stay pretty low key and very few people know that we're dating. It's just easier this way, I'd rather get to hang out with him and not be followed by the paparazzi than be official to the public.

Being the gentleman that he is, he pulls out my chair for me and I sit down. He sits across from me at the small table and the candle light flickers on his face, making him look even more flawless than usual.

He places his hand on the table, palm up, open, waiting for mine. This is one of my favorite parts about Nick. Some guys don't like holding hands, but Nick always wants to. It's a simple gesture, but it shows that he really wants to hold me, even if its just in a small way.

I give his hand a squeeze. Something about this date seems different than our others. Maybe because I know him better now than ever before after seeing him with his family or maybe because last night we made love for the first time.

"Last night..." Nick says as if he's reading my mind, "That was..." he says looking at my face as if he's unsure what to say. You can tell he's not sure how I feel about it yet, but that he wanted to wait to get out of the house to talk about it.

"Amazing?" I offer and Nick turns about a hundred shades of happy. He noticeably relaxes.

"Yeah, amazing. I wasn't sure if... I mean, it was kind of soon, but..."

I love when he gets flustered like this. I do this. I, Miley Stewart, make THE smooth talking Nick Jonas stumble and stutter over the right words to say.

"I know," I say letting him off the hook from finding the words. I know what he means anyway, "I thought about that. But there's no way something that felt that right could be wrong."

Its Nick's turn to squeeze my hand now and he looks me straight in the eyes with a kind of blaze in them that I've never seen before. It's not wonder, it's not lust, I can't describe it. Could it possibly be _love?_ Is he going to tell me he loves me? My heart is beating in my ears and all the background noise from the restaurant is gone.

He stares at me intensely for a few moments and my throat goes dry. He doesn't say anything though and the moment passes. I look down unintentionally. Okay, I'm disappointed. I really thought he might say it. I mean, I guess I _know_ that he loves me, why would he waste his time treating me this way if he didn't? But God, hearing those words from his lips would probably drive me over the edge.

I try not to let it get to me though as the waitress comes over and Nick orders a bottle of expensive wine for both of us. The rest of dinner is a blur of conversation, talking about his family and his childhood and his younger years, especially when he and his brothers were just starting up as a band.

When we're finally getting ready to leave, I'm feeling a little tipsy, maybe from the three glasses of wine I had with dinner. I gently rub Nick's thigh as he drives back to his parents' house and he looks at me smiling. I have an idea that last night is going to repeat itself when we get home...

As usual, he takes my hand as we walk up the driveway to the front door. I love how their door is never locked. I mean, they live in a gated community so it's not like anyone can come in, but it shows their friendliness and openness better than anything else.

Nick lets go of my hand and grabs my waist and pulls me close to him, "I can't wait until we get upstairs," he whispers in my ear and chills run down my spine. _Me neither, Nick. Me neither_ I think to myself.

He opens the doorknob and it seems as if everyone else has retired to bed as most of the lights in the house are off and it's unusually quiet. Noticing this, he takes the chance to pull me close to him and kiss me straight on the lips, quickly turning it into making out.

"Aw! Nicky has a girlfriend!" a voice calls out and the lights flip on. I break away from Nick quickly, but he keeps his arm around my waist. We both look for the souse of the interruption and I'm surprised to see Joe, the missing Jonas Brother.

But he doesn't look like the Joe I remember from being Hannah or even the Joe that I'm used to seeing on TV or on posers and CD covers.

He looks like he hasn't shaved in a few days, his hair is greasy and his eyes are red and squinty and something sounds wrong with his voice.

He comes close to us and Nick grips me tighter making me feel even more nervous. Joe comes close to me and I can smell stale beer and cigarette smoke on his breath. He looks closely at my face, squinting hard as if trying to remember where he's seen me before and I stand completely still hardly breathing.

"You're the girl from E! News!" Joe yells suddenly and I realize that he's slurring. Joe Jonas drunk? I mean, the boys are of-age now and of course they drink, but not like this Joe is really really drunk.

"Joe Jonas," he continues and he stretches out his hand. Next to me Nick stiffens and I tentatively hold my hand out to Joe. He grabs it and shakes it hard before bringing it to his mouth and giving it a wet kiss. Gross. It's taking every restraint I have not to wipe my hand on my dress.

He looks at me again, checking me out, and not in a friendly, 'I'm just seeing if you're good for my brother' way. I instantly feel uncomfortable. It feels like he's undressing me with his eyes. Nick notices and instantly butts in.

"Hey Joe?" Nick asks sounding slightly condescending, "What are you doing here?"

"What?" Joe says snapping out of his oogling me, "A guy can't come visit his family?"

"You know you're not supposed to be here," Nick says evenly as if talking to a child and I instantly wonder what's going on. Why shouldn't Joe be here?

"Oh Nick, Nick, Nick," he slurs again, "You are such a goody two shoes!"

"Miley," Nick says turning to me suddenly, "Please go upstairs and wait in my room. I'll be up soon, I promise. I just need to talk to Joe privately please."

I nod, not having said anything the whole time and head up the stairs feeling both of their eyes following me.

"Please stop staring at my girlfriend, Joe," I hear Nick say and I smile even though the situation clearly isn't funny. It's just cute that Nick gets protective like that.

I head up to Nick's room and decide to change. The mood is pretty much broken, so there's no reason to wait for him. I slide off my dress and pull on pajama pants and a white T-shirt.

As I'm getting ready for bed, I hear Nick and Joe both raising their voices. Then I hear another set of footsteps coming down the stairs and Kevin's voice joins in the mix. After about ten minutes of yelling, things calm down and soon I hear two sets of footsteps coming up the stairs. They stop across the hall and I peer through the door which is slightly open and I see Kevin and Nick supporting Joe into his room.

I lay down on Nick's bed, picking up the book I read on the plane and pretending that I didn't see anything. Not that I'm not curious, but I don't want to look nosy.

Nick sits down on the edge of the bed and sighs and I look at him over the top of my book. He pulled off his shoes and socks, looking frustrated and sad.

I crawl behind him and wrap my arms around him, resting my chin on his shoulder.

"What's wrong?" I ask him, slowly undoing his tie for him and unbuttoning his shirt. He relaxes into my touch and I smiling, knowing that I have that affect on him.

He doesn't answer, but his breathing slows down and I know he's just trying to calm himself down before he talks. His shirt is off and my hands go down to his belt and begin undoing that.

He turns around and looks me right in the eye as if searching for something and then he sighs again.

"I trust you," he says and grabs my hand, "That's why I'm going to tell you this. I know you wouldn't tell anyone."

"Of course not," I tell him. I know what it feels like (as Hannah) thinking that everyone is going to sell you out. Nick might not know it, but that's one of the reasons I could never betray him. Or the fact that I'm in love with him.

"What you just witnessed, is the _real_ reason the Jonas Brothers broke up," Nick says sadly, "Joe's a good guy, I swear. I don't want you to think any less of him because of what you just saw, okay?" I nod.

"When we first started getting famous, everything was good. We were living our dream and all of us were clean and sober, there were no issues. I think part of it was just because I was young and Joe and Kev knew I couldn't do all the same things as them. In a way, I held them back. But the second I was of age, all the of sudden we were all going out. Kevin and I knew how to keep it in control, but Joe, Joe was like a fire cracker just waiting to be lit. He couldn't be stopped. He got in with some bad people. He was getting drunk. He was smoking. He was doing _drugs_ Miley." Nick said all of this so sadly I almost wanted to cry. He was clearly so upset by this, but at the same time he still believed that Joe was a good guy.

"We tried to pretend it wasn't happening, but it just kept getting worse. So, we decided to let Joe take a break. We checked him, unwillingly, into a discrete rehab center. We agreed not to be the Jonas Brothers anymore, but I couldn't give up music," Nick continued, "Hence, my solo career. And Kevin's going to help produce. That was kind of his goal in the end anyway. I guess it just came faster than he expected."

"I'm sorry," I say automatically and stand up and hug Nick, squeezing him tightly, letting him know that I'm there for him, "You're a good brother, you know that?"

"Thanks, I really needed to hear that," he says and buries his head into my hair.

"So he broke out of rehab?" I prompt him, partly out of curiosity and partly because I know he wants to tell me and that he needs someone to confess to.

"Yeah," Nick sighs for about the millionth time that night. I know that all this weight on his shoulders is so hard especially being the spot light. I can't believe I haven't noticed it yet, but Nick looks totally stressed. I vow to be more caring and notice things more even though I would bet that Nick has been doing anything to not let it show, "He checked himself out and then promptly went to a bar and then came here. He drove drunk! I can't even believe him. What if he had gotten hurt? What if _he_ had hurt someone? I just don't even know who he is anymore. He's my brother! We shared a room for most of my life! I just I don't even..."

"Sometimes people just get a little lost," I tell him softly as he hides his face behind his hands, "He'll find his way soon enough. You can't control his life for him, Nick."

"Thanks," he says smiling weakly at me, but I love him for trying anyway. He kisses me quick on the lips, "You're a pretty good girlfriend, I think I'll keep you around for a while," he teases.

"Good," I say teasing as well, "Because I'm not letting you go anytime soon."


	6. Chapter 6

It's been a week since we got back from Texas and Nick's parents house. The whole trip was just completely surreal to me. Nick and I are closer than ever, I still can't believe he trusted me, a gossip reporter, with his family's secret.

After taking a weekend off, Nick's busier than ever, but finally after 5 long, tortuous days, we're going out to dinner.

To say I miss him would probably be an understatement. I never wanted to be one of those girls who couldn't live without their boyfriend, but when I'm around Nick, I feel just like me only better if that makes sense. He makes me feel like my flaws are attributes and I miss just talking to him not to mention the other things.

But it's okay, because he's taking me out to dinner tonight, to a really nice restaurant. I look at myself in the mirror one last time before going downstairs to wait for him.

Tight, heart attack inducing, navy blue dress and silver heels. Perfect. If he doesn't get the hint than he's a fool. My hair is in carefully styled curls and my makeup is mostly natural except for some dark eyeliner and mascara. Definitely hot. Not to be conceited or anything.

I grab my silver clutch and head downstairs. Lilly is on her way out to meet a new guy at a club down the street dressed in a typical club dress- tight and short.

"Someone's looking hot!" I call out and she turns around to look at me.

She shakes her head when she sees me, "You always put me to shame, Miley. You look completely fabulous! I wouldn't be surprised if Nick takes you home the second he sees you!"

"Lilly please," I gasp pretending to be offended even though, of course, that's secretly what I want. What can I say? I want Nick. He's my boyfriend, there's nothing wrong with that, right? "Besides, I'm dressed up. You seriously look so hot, that guy won't be able to keep his hands off of you!"

We both giggle and the doorbell rings, most likely Nick. I walk to the door still laughing and Nick's standing there, just smiling at my laughter. As always, he has a bouqeut of flowers for me. He kisses me on the cheek before offering them out to me.

"Thanks, baby," I say gesturing for him to come in while I get water for the flowers.

"No problem. I really, really missed you," he says softly, erasing my fears that I'm too desperate for him. He obviously misses me too.

"Ahem," Lilly fake coughs, interrupting the moment, trust Lil to do that.

"Hey, Lilly," Nick says laughing and shaking his head, "Thanks for the article about my new single."

"No problem," Lilly says smoothly. She's used to celebrities so Nick doesn't even faze her.

"Going out with a new guy?" he asks as I head into the kitchen to get water and a vase. I smile because I know I have a perfect boyfriend. Some guys tend to break friends apart, but Nick always has a nice word to say to Lilly and always strikes up some small talk.

"Yes, actually, I am, Nick," I hear her say.

"Lucky guy," he says in a friendly tone.

"See, I told you!" I say coming back into the room and sticking my tongue out at Lilly.

"Shall we go?" Nick asks me and I nod.

"Bye, Lilly, have fun tonight! Let me know how it goes!" I call as we leave our apartment.

Now that we're alone in the elevator, Nick takes the time to really look at me. His eyes are wide and I almost want to laugh.

"Wow, Miley," he says still staring me up and down, "You look- wow."

"We match," I say smiling and fingering his navy blue tie that is the exactly same shade as my dress. I pull him closer to me by his tie and his breathing gets a little shaky making me smile.

"So we do," he says gulping. I press my lips against him and he deepens it. Just as it about to go farther, the elevator dings signaling we're at the garage and we jump apart. We exit the elevator and walk towards his car. He opens the door for me and we get in his car and drive off to the restaurant.

"So, did you enjoy being at my parents' house?" Nick asks after we order and hand our menus over (steak for Nick, chicken for me- I can't stand red meat, even if its the best in town)

I take a sip of wine, "Yeah," I answer honestly, "After meeting your mom, I understand how you turned out so perfect."

He blushes and all I want to do is hug him, "Thanks. She really means a lot to me."

I smile at his comment, that much is obvious. I remember the way that she held me when I cried about my own mom and suddenly I feel unwanted tears filling my eyes. I try to blink them away before Nick sees, but unfortunately I'm too late.

"Hey," he says concerned, making my heart melt even more, "What's wrong?"

A tear rolls down my cheek and I silently thank God that I wore waterproof makeup. He reaches over the table and wipes it away, "Baby, what's wrong?" he repeats.

"Nothing," I say as another tear escapes from my eye.

"Miley, please tell me," Nick begs wiping more tears from my eyes. Everyone must be staring at us, but I don't dare look. We must look crazy, me crying and Nick holding my face. He looks so worried and concerned, I swear he's about to cry himself.

"It's just-" I start and then sniffle, "Your mom... She really hugged me, like a motherly hug... and I just haven't... haven't felt that in a while," I say inbetween more sniffles.

"Oh, Miley," he says carassing my cheek with his thumb.A few more tears fall before they finally stopped. When he notices that they've stopped Nick smiles which makes me smile too.

"There's that smile I love," he says and removes his hand from my face to clasp my hand on the table, "You made quite an impression on my mom, by the way. All I hear from her now is Miley this, Miley that."

"She's a wonderful woman. You were lucky," I reply.

"Thanks, I know." Nick says and we continue our dinner, just talking about our respective weeks and laughing at silly things.

Soon, we're both finished eating and our waiter offers us dessert menus. Nick takes one and thanks him while I politely decline.

"Hey Nick?" I ask watching him look over the menu.

"Mmhm?" he answers still scanning the book in front of him.

"Why don't we," I say leaning forward and lowering my voice into a sexy whisper, "skip desert and go back to your place?" I find his leg under the table and rub up and down it gently with my foot, leaving no question as to what I want.

Finally, Nick looks up. His eyes flit from my chest to my face and his mouth is open slightly. I bite my lip and smirk at him.

"Alright," he says without hesitation and quickly calls the waiter over, "Just the check please," he says looking back at me and giving me a sexy wink that makes me want to grab him and do him right on the table.

Finally, we're both in his car driving back to his penthouse appartment. Neither of us are talking because the sexual tension in the car is too much to handle. We both get out and walk slowly, much too slowly to the door of his apartment building.

He presses the button for the elevator and we get in standing next to each other. He puts in the code for the top floor penthouse and the door closes.

In a matter of seconds he's pulling me closer and finally we're attached at the mouth kissing hard and rough. He shoves his tongue in my mouth and I kiss back just as passionately.

The door opens to reveal his penthouse- the ultimate bachelor pad. The second we're clear of the door my hands start working on his tie and unbuttoning his shirt and pushing it off his shoulders. We break kissing for a second, both of us breathing heavily, in order to pull of his undershirt.

His fingers fumble at the back of my dress, trying to pull the zipper down. Both of us kick our shoes off as we make it to the couch. I press him against it until his knees give back and he's laying down on it, me straddling him.

His hands slide up my thighs and I pull my dress over my head, showing off my new La Perla black lace bra and panty set. His eyes are buldging out of his head and I give him a sexy smile before leaning down to kiss him again.

This kiss is more passionate and less desperate. Now we both know we'll be getting what we want. My hands work on his belt and pants and he helps me push them off. He's clearly ready, if you get what I mean.

"Let's go to the bedroom," I whisper in his ear and he nods before picking me up, my legs wrapped around his waist. I lean down and kiss him and he presses me against his bedroom door, proving just how much he wants me, before opening it.

He throws me down on his bed before climbing on top of me. Our first time was slow and sweet, but this time it's fast and hard, satisfying both of our needs quickly. This time, as we're alone in Nick's huge apartment, there's no need to keep quiet and we're both calling out each other's name.

I lose count of how many times I've orgasmed and around three in the morning we both stop, finally satisfied and completely exausted.

"You're amazing," he whispers and I smile before both of us fall into a happy sleep. Maybe it's not as good as I love you, but the way he says it still makes me feel like everything's perfect.

I wake up feeling a little sore, but still completely content. I keep my eyes closed enjoying Nick's arms around me. Finally I open them and see his perfect face right in front of mine. I smile, he's snoring lightly and I take the chance to really, really look at him.

His skin is absolutely flawless. A guy should not have this perfect of skin. The few freckles that dot his face are adorable and his lips look slightly swollen. His long eyelashes contrast against his pale skin and I trace them gently with my fingers.

Only after studying him for about ten minutes do I look over his head at the clock.

Shit. It's almost eight thirty! I have to be at work at nine. Good news is Nick's place is only five mintues from the E! offices as opposed to twenty minutes like my place. Bad news is I don't have any clothes except the dress I wore last night.

Not wanting to wake Nick up, I get up cautiously and tip toe to his bathroom. I shower and wrap myself in one of his towels. Ten minutes before I need to leave. I call a taxi service so that they'll be there on time before towel drying my hair and washing my face.

My best bet is probably to just put on my clothes from last night and then beg Michael to let me have something from Wardrobe. So I put on the dress and heels and kiss Nick on the forehead (he's still sleeping soundly) before leaving him a note that I left for work.

I'm sitting at my desk researching rumors of another low key celebrity wedding when my phone buzzes on the desk where its charging. I instantly smile when I read the message.

_I wanted to wake up next to you :(_

It's from Nick, obviously. I quickly text him back.

_Sorry baby, but if you hadn't kept me up so late last night I wouldn't have woke up so late for work._

I imagine Nick, probably still laying in bed or maybe just sitting around in his boxers since he's not going into the studio today, reading the text message while that beautiful smile of his creeps onto his face.

_If I remember correctly YOU were the one who suggested we go back to my place..._

I blush at my desk as I read his message. I'm replaying last night in my mind and I bite my lip to stop smiling.

"Hey, whatcha blushing 'bout, Miley?" a familar voice says and I look up from my phone to see Nick standing there.

"Oh my, God, Nick!" I exclaim jumping up from my desk. Half embarassed that he caught me blushing and half excited that he's here. I wrap my arms around him and most of the office is watching us with questioning looks. After all, I do work at gossip central.

He laughs and hugs me back before giving me another bouquet of flowers, this time yellow tulips.

"What are you doing here?" I ask still shocked that he's here. I mean, I really have a perfect boyfriend. How many boys do you know who would show up randomly and surprise you at work? Not many I guarantee.

"I just wanted to know if a certain beautiful girl wanted to go have lunch with me."

"Hmm, and who might that be?" I ask coyly smiling at him.

"Just my girlfriend. You might know her, she's about this tall," he put his hand on the top of my head, "Beautiful eyes, dazzling smile..."

"She sounds pretty amazing."

"Oh, trust me, she is," he says looking me in the eyes, "So how about it? Lunch?"

"I'd love to."

We go to a small cafe outside of the office building and sit down. We both look over the menu in a comfortable silence. Once we place our order he looks at me and smiles. I open my mouth about to say something when someone interrupts.

"Excuse me, are you Nick Jonas?" an excited girl shreiks coming over to our table, "Is this your girlfriend? Can I have your autograph? And a picture? Ohmigosh my friends are NOT going to believe this!"

Nick looks at her slighty shocked and baffled and I want to laugh at his expression. He looks at me apologetically as if he's unsure what to do. I nod slightly and he smiles at the girl willingly signing her napkin and letting her snap a picture with him.

It's cute seeing him interract with fans, the way they look at him as if they're starstruck is, not to be rude, hilarious. Of course there was a time when I was like that too so I guess I can't really make fun of them. But still, it's funny to see them all starry-eyed over Nick, when I know that he's really just a big dork. A dork that I love, of course.

"Sorry," he says when he's done. Luckily, in this part of town most people don't get all that starstruck so there aren't a million other fans running up to him.

"It's fine," I say smiling to let him know that it really is fine. I know, or at least I knew, what it was like to have fans like that.

"You were going to say something," he states looking at me. I love how he knows that. How he noticed I was about to say something and remembers it.

"So...I was thinking..." I start.

"Uh-oh," he says jokingly.

"Shut up!" I say laughing at his teasing, "I met your parents... so I was just wondering if you wanted to come to Malibu this weekend to meet my dad?"

I'm a little hesitant to ask him, after all I know my dad is super protective and that guys get really nervous about this type of thing. But I also know that my dad will love Nick. He's polite, funny, and really sweet to me and if my dad doesn't see that then he's missing something.

Nick's face is slightly comical, he looks nervous and a little jumpy, but also kind of happy. I can only imagine the emotions going through his mind.

"Um," Nick says nervously, "Is your dad a big guy?"

I laugh at him, "He'll love you, I promise. He used to be a muscian, you know. I'm sure you guys will have a lot to talk about."

"Well, then, yes Miss Stewart, I would love to join you," he said is a fake aristocratic voice.

I laugh at his antics and he laughs too and we continue the rest of our lunch in our normal carefree state.

I walk back into the office all smiles and giggles, unable to contain my happiness. Nothing beats the giddy feeling of being with Nick.

When I walk onto my floor my boss is waiting impatiently at my desk. Okay, so _maybe_ I'm a few minutes late, but what's the big deal? It's not like I've done anything real since my interview with Nick.

"Miss Stewart," she said icily, "First off, you're late. Second, I need to see you in my office for a quick word."

Uh-oh this cannot be good. She can't be firing me right? I haven't done anything really wrong. At least I don't think I have. I try to think back to anything I might have done to get fired. Okay, so maybe sometimes I text instead of doing work or check my email a little too much, but come on! Everyone does that...

My boss gestures for me to take a seat opposite her desk and I sink into the grey suede chair. Maybe if I wasn't so nervous I'd notice how soft and comfy it is... and how hard it will be to get out of gracefully.

"So," she starts looking down at me from her desk. Well, that must be why the seat is so low, "I suppose you know why you're here."

"Um, no," I stutter out.

"Do these look familiar?" she asks pulling out a few sheets of paper and flinging them into my hands. I look over them carefully. Paparazzi shots that look like they're taken through bushes. All I see at first is a tall guy with a baseball cap, jeans, and a sweatshirt. As I flip through the pictures more and more is visible. The guy holding hands with a girl in a jeans and a cardigan while getting off a plane. The pictures go on until finally a view of their faces come up and I realize that it's Nick and I getting off his private jet.

"Where did you get these?" I ask her still flipping through them. God, I look awful. Messy hair from sleeping on the plane and the imprint of Nick's shirt on my face.

"Basically every gossip site has these. Now, I believe in having boyfriends and I'm sure that you and this Nick guy are very close," she says, but I can tell that she doesn't believe it. She thinks that I'm just his newest squeeze.

"But I expect my girls to report news, not _be _news." she finishes.

I stare at her open mouthed. Is she telling me I have to break up with Nick? Or is she just saying be more discrete?

"We do not need a scandal about one of our girls dating one of the hottest names in the industry. Rumors are already swirling about your big romantic get away. This is not the kind of publicity we want."

"It wasn't like that!" I protest meekly, "We went to see his parents. They've been having a rough time with Joe and he just wanted some support! I swear!"

She looks at me up and down and I sit up a little straighter. She shakes her head before addressing me for the last time.

"You're free to go Miss Stewart."

My heart is racing as I leave the office. How could I have not known that there were pictures of me and Nick? How could my boss possibly be telling me that I can't do this? What am I not allowed to date someone just because he's famous? It's not like we were doing anything scandalous!

When I sit down at my desk I make a point to get as much work done as possible. I sift through different "sources" on rumors, checking their credibilty and making note of it for later use. I want to call Nick so badly, but that would just farther incriminate me as a bad employee so I manange to resist. Who knew being in love could have such a toll on your career?


	7. Chapter 7

I think I'm even more nervous than Nick is as we drive to my dad's house. It's not that I don't think my dad will like him, but well what if he doesn't? I love Nick and I wouldn't want my dad to get in between us, but if my dad doesn't like him than I don't know what I'll do. My dad means the world to me and we've always been pretty close as far as father-daughter relationships go.

Also, more importantly than meeting my dad (Okay, okay meeting my dad is important) I want to bring Nick to my childhood house to tell him something. That's right, I'm going to tell him that I was Hannah Montana. It's not that I think he'll be upset or anything, I mean, Hannah is part of my past and I never really lied to Nick about her, just withheld the truth.

Okay, so actually I'm completely scared that he'll be upset. Because I've met him before, but pretended I never had. And also I've kind of lead him on about me being just a "normal" girl. I guess we'll see...

Nick insisted on driving so we're in his black sports car as we speed down the highway.

"Hey," he says breaking the easy silence, "You okay? You seem kind of out of it..."

I turn to him, "Yeah, I'm fine," I say smiling and briefly place my hand over his on the clutch. He laces our fingers together and brings them to his mouth kissing my hand and making my stomach erupt with butterflies.

"You nervous?" I ask him in a teasing voice. He noticeably tenses.

"A little," he admits glancing at me for a second.

"Don't be," I tell him even though it's hypocritical, "He'll love you." _I hope so..._

We make it there in a little over an hour due to traffic. The second we pull up to the white house I jump out of the car and Nick laughs at my eagarness. I can't help it, I grew up here. Nick grabs our bags and this time I let him without an argument. I know he's just trying to impress my dad.

I run up to the front door and ring the doorbell looking at Nick excitedly and he smiles back. The door opens and next thing I know I'm being pulled into my dad's arms in a giant bear hug. Nick follows us inside and sets our bags down gently.

"I missed you bud," my dad says pulling away from me to look at me, "You look so grown up." which is because Nick picked me up right after work and I'm still in business clothes.

"Dad," I say smiling, "This is my boyfriend, Nick Jonas."

"Nice to meet you, sir," Nick says politely holding out his hand. Dad eyes him suspiciously and I hold my breath. Nick looks nervous too, but the holds my dad's gaze and finally dad grasps Nick's hand tightly and they shake.

"Nice to meet you too," Dad says his southern accent prominent, "It's nice to finally meet the boy my daughter has been raving about."

I blush at his comment and Nick's smile widens.

"It's nice to meet the guy who made her into the wonderful woman she is today," Nick replies honestly. Oh boy, here we go, another blush-fest for me.

"I like you, boy" Dad says suddenly and I smile, "Don't give me a reason to change my mind."

"I don't plan to, sir," Nick says confidently and puts an arm around me lovingly.

"Well, Miley," Dad says, "Why don't you show Nick to his room? I made the bed in the guest room next to my room."

"Dad!" I say groaning, knowing that he purposely doesn't want Nick and I in the same room and also that he had to pick the guest room that is farthest from my room... and closest to his. He's so old fashioned. If only he knew what Nick and I got up to behind closed doors...

"Miley." he says back calmly but in the voice that I know means that this is non-negotiable. Fine whatever.

"Fine," I sigh, "But then I'm taking him to my room to show him something," I say giving my dad a look. He raises an eyebrow at me knowing exactly what I mean. I shrug at him and smile, letting him know that its okay.

"C'mon Nick," I say, "I'll show you to your room."

"See you, sir," Nick says to my dad as we leave. I love the way he says sir... he sounds so adorable, he's so polite!

I make my way down the familiar halls with Nick trailing behind me. We make it into the spacious bedroom and he puts his stuff down on the floor and studies it.

"Your house is so nice," he finally says turning to look at me.

"Thanks," I say and make my way over to him winding my hands around his neck while he grips my waist.

"Your dad was nice too," he continues smiling, "Not going to lie, I thought he was going to be scarier than that."

"Yeah, well don't thank him just yet. Want to know where my room is? All the way at the other end of hall. And that wall? That's the wall to my dad's room," I pout and Nick chuckles at me.

"I get it, Mi," he says using the nickname that he gave me, "If I had a daughter like you I'd want to keep her far, far away from any boys who might try to corrupt her." He comes in closer and closer with each word and his lips are almost on mine by the end. My heart is racing, oh Nick Jonas, the things you do to me...

Finally our lips connect and he opens my mouth rubbing my tongue gently with his to which I happily respond. We grip each other tighter as the kiss gets more heated, and we both fall onto the bed gently with me on top. I smile down at him.

"Actually," Nick says smirking, "I think you're the one corrupting me."

"Well, I can't control myself around you," I say back before leaning down for another kiss. His fingers start to unbutton the top of my blouse and I kiss him harder and more passionately.

"Hey!" My dad's voice rings through the room sounding far away and slightly distorted, "The vents have ears and they are NOT hearing anything!"

I laugh at Nick's bewildered expression and push my face into his chest to hide the fact that it's turning red. Ugh Dad can be super annoying when he wants to be. Why can't he just accept the fact that I'm grown up now?

Catching on to what happened, Nick begins to chuckle too. I groan and sit up rolling off of him so we're laying next to each other.

"Still not hearing anything!" my dad's voice reverberates through the room again and I groan again and get up offering my hand to Nick. He takes it and I pull him off the bed.

"I have to show you something," I tell him as we leave the room, our hands still intertwined. He follows me dutifully and my stomach is twisting with nerves.

"Please just try and keep an open mind, okay?" I plead as we enter my room. He looks at me confused for a second before nodding. He looks a little scared and apprehensive.

I walk over to my closet and open it. He's looking at me like I'm crazy.

"Um, Mi?" he asks, "Why are you showing me your closet?"

Wordlessly I push back all the old clothes to reveal the HM logo on the double doors that lead to my 'Hannah Closet'. He looks at me even more confused than before and he opens his mouth to speak. Before he does I open the doors and gesture for him to go inside.

I watch him look around. First he notices all the clothes and then he notices the various awards Hannah had gotten over the years. His fingers reach out to touch one, as if it will disappear when it does. He looks at me questioningly, but my mouth is too dry to speak.

Finally he goes over to the shelf filled with pictures where a copy of the picture that he has in his room was. He picked it up and looked down at the picture. Then he looked at me. Then back at the picture. I held my breath not knowing what he was going to say...


	8. Chapter 8

_Finally he goes over to the shelf filled with pictures where a copy of the picture that he has in his room was. He picked it up and looked down at the picture. Then he looked at me. Then back at the picture. I held my breath not knowing what he was going to say..._

"You're Hannah," he says matter-of-factly. He doesn't sound angry or upset which is a good sign.

"I _was _Hannah," I say putting an emphasis on the past tense so that he knows I haven't been lying to him.

He looks down at the picture again and I'm waiting for him to blow up or something. Suddenly the room seems way too quiet.

"I just wanted a normal life..." I ramble, desperate to make him say something, to make him understand, "I wanted to go to school and have friends who liked me for me and I wanted to be able to go out without the paparazzi following me..."

Suddenly he breaks out into a huge grin and to my surprise he starts laughing. I stand there staring at him incredulously as he continues to laugh. Nick puts the picture down and then comes over to me pulling me into a giant hug much to my surprise.

"You have got to be the cleverest girl on the planet," Nick says happily kissing me on the lips, "How did you come up with this?"

"Well, it was mostly my dad," I say smiling at him, relieved. He shakes his head in a good-natured way as if he can't believe it.

"I can't believe I never thought of this," Nick continues still laughing and still holding me.

"So you're not mad?" I ask hopefully.

"Mad? Why would I be mad?" he says puzzled.

"I don't know... because I didn't tell you the truth at first," I say sheepishly. Okay, well now that I think about it it does sound kind of dumb that he would be mad over this.

"Everyone is entitled to secrets, Mi. Especially at the beginning of a relationship. I didn't tell you about Joe right away, did I?"

I shake my head. Nick laughs again, "And all this time I believed the rumors that Hannah got married to a Brit at 18 and lives on the English country side." I roll my eyes at him and he kisses me again, "You know I had a pretty big crush on Hannah back in the day..." he says with a wink.

"Yeah," I say teasing, "You made a pretty big fool of yourself the first time we met. '_Wow, you're pretty'"_

He laughs and blushes slightly and I laugh too.

"So why did you do it?" he asks, once the laughter has died down, obviously referring to why I gave up Hannah.

I shrug, "I was getting tired of pretending. And I wanted the normal life more than the pop star life. Being a reporter seemed more interesting to me than being the person the news was about. The hardest part was giving up the music though. I didn't want people to suspect anything so I pretty much had to give up on it completely."

"I could never do that," Nick tells me and pulls me close to him again, "You are one amazing girl, have I told you that recently?"

"Yes, but I never get tired of hearing it," I say honestly and look up at him smiling.

"I love you," he says and my heart stops. The way he says it sounds so beautiful and wonderful. It was unexpected and random, but perfect. He looks at me and I'm smiling like an idiot. He pushes my hair off of my face and leans down to kiss me.

"I love you too," I say when he's done, "And I've been wanted to say that for a long time."

"Me too," he admits pressing our foreheads together, "Every since my parents' house I've been dying to tell you, but I didn't want to rush it. Today just proved to me even more that you are wonderful, incredible, special and I don't want to let another day go by without letting you know how much I love and admire you."

I'm smiling so hard it actually hurts my face, "I love you," I say again just because I can.

"I love you too," he repeats and it sounds even better the second time. I press my lips to his hard, and smile when I remember that the Hannah Closet has no vents. I run my fingers through his hair and he groans softly and moves us towards the couch in there. He gently lays me down, keeping our lips attached the whole time. My hands are riding up his shirt when once again my dad's voice interrupts us.

"Miley! Nick! Dinner!" he calls from downstairs. This time Nick groans as I push him off of me gently. I giggle at his tortured expression.

"I think the universe might be against us, Mr. Jonas," I say jokingly.

"Well then, I'm up for the challenge," he says before kissing me one last time.

That night as I'm laying in bed, wishing that Nick was with me, I suddenly come up with a great idea. I look over to the clock, it's just past 1, two hours since Nick kissed me Good night and I still can't get him off of my mind. I can't take another moment of not being with him, especially after what he told me earlier.

I slip into the Hannah closet to find what I'm looking for and quickly change. Then slowly, quietly, I make my way past my dad's door. I tiptoe across it slowly hearing his snores before I make it to Nick's room.

I make it to Nick's door and I knock softly before entering. He's sitting on the bed with all the lights off except the bedside table lamp. He has a book in his hands, but he hardly looks like he's concentrating.

He looks up when I come in and takes in my appearance. The silky bathrobe I used to wear as a teenager is now extreamely short showing off my long legs and Nick smiles as he takes in my appearance.

He opens his mouth to speak, but I put my finger over my lips indicating he needs to be quiet. He nods, smiling at me as I come over to the bed and climb under the covers with him. I kiss him quickly on the lips before straddling him.

His eyes widen as he realizes what I have on underneath my robe- Nothing. I slowly take his shirt off, kissing his chest gently before making it to his neck and pulling the shirt over his head. His hands go for the sash of my robe and he slides it off my shoulders making my skin tingle where he's touching me.

The way Nick looks at me, I know what he's thinking. That I'm beautiful and with Nick, I really believe it. His eyes darken with lust as my hand slips into his boxers, touching him gently. He groans softly at my teasing. And I put my finger to his lips and nod my head towards my dad's room.

Finally, I pull his boxers off and slide down onto him. He's clenching his jaw not to make a sound as I move up and down him. His hands grip my sides, urging me to go faster which I do happily. I'm biting my lip to keep from screaming which drives him crazy.

He tenses underneath me and I feel myself tightening and letting go while he also relaxes. I kiss him simply before bringing my lips to his ear, "I love you," I whisper while he's still panting, completely surprised by what just happened. I get up and put my robe back on while he stares at me in awe.

"I love you too," I hear him whisper faintly as I leave and go back to my own bed.

The next morning I wake up to the smell of bacon and pancakes and my dad's singing coming from the kitchen. The sun is creeping through the window and I smirk to myself remembering last night. He loves me and I love him.

I get up and go to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. Next, I go to the closet and come out wearing a white v-neck T-shirt and denim cutoffs. After fixing my hair and makeup, I start to make my way down the hall.

Nick's door is closed and I knock on it before entering. Nick is still tangled in the sheets curled up and sleeping. He looks so cute, his messy curls contrasting against the white pillowcase and his lips in a slight smile.

I go over and sit next to him on the bed and shake him gently.

"Nick," I say softly and he lets out a small groan. I run my fingers through his hair, "Nick, baby, it's time to wake up.

"Noo," he groans and snuggles deeper into the sheets. He's so adorable I just want to hug him and never let go.

"C'mon, baby. It's time for breakfast and then we can go for a walk on the beach..." I say enticingly, trying to motivate him to get up.

Finally he opens his eyes and rubs them sleepily. When they finally settle on me, his mouth forms into a sexy smirk.

"Last night I had a crazy dream..." he starts still smirking.

"Oh yeah?" I ask him raising an eyebrow, "What happened?"

"My sexy girlfriend came into my room," Nick says grabbing my waist and pulling me so I'm laying down beside him, "And we had a very fun rendezvous in the guest room at her father's house," he whispered in my ear making the hair on the back of my neck stand up. A shiver went through my body and he pulled me closer.

"Sounds like a good dream..." I say resting my head between his shoulder and neck.

"Oh, believe me, it was," he says in that voice that makes me want to tear off my clothes and his clothes and do it all over again.

But instead, I get up off the bed.

"Time to get up, sleepyhead," I say teasingly, "I'll be downstairs waiting for you."

He groaned again, but got up as I danced out of the room and down the stairs to my dad.

"Good Morning!" I say enthusiastically and my dad gives me a look, "What?"

"You're awfully... perky this morning," he says suspiciously, "Where's Nick?"

"Oh, he's getting dressed," I say trying to sound less happy because I don't want to tell him why I'm in such a good mood after last night, "He'll be down soon and after breakfast we're going to go for a walk on the beach, okay?"

"Sure, sure," he says before mumbling something about growing up and continuing to cook pancakes.

Nick comes downstairs in basketball shorts and a white T-shirt.

"Good Morning, Mr. Stewart," he says politely nodding at my dad who returns the gesture, "'Morning, Mi," he adds kissing me on the cheek and taking a seat next to me.

My dad puts all the food on the table and Nick thanks him graciously. My dad looks upset and I roll my eyes. I know it's because he's disappointed that Nick really is a good guy, my dad was hoping for a jerk that he could be mean to. What a baby.

After breakfast, Nick and I offer to clean up and my dad accepts. We load everything into the dishwasher and turn it on before finally we're free to go.

We walk out the back door right onto the beach. The sun is still low in the sky and everything looks fresh and new and beautiful. I close my eyes and inhale deeply. This is what LA is missing. The fresh air, the sand, the surf.

"It's really beautiful here," Nick says surveying the area. I smile and him and grab his hand, steering him down the shoreline.

We spend most of the walk in a peaceful silence while Nick takes in all the new sights and I remember all the good times I've had here. This moment is perfect and I forget about work, about paparazzi, about anything that could possible get in my way of complete happiness.

We turn around after a while to head back to my house. Once we get back, I sit down on the ground and pull Nick down next to me.

"I love you," he says breaking the silence. I swear, no matter how many times he says it, it's always going to sound completely beautiful coming from his mouth.

I can't hold back a smile, "I love you, too," I reply, kissing him lightly on the lips.

"You're really something, you know that Miss Miley Stewart?" he says with a smile, staring at my face making me blush.

I rest my head on his shoulder and we stay there for a long time, just enjoying each other's company. How is it that for the past five years I haven't found anyone I like, but only a little over a month and I'm already head over heels in love with Nick? The thoughts wind through my mind, trying to understand how the world works until I feel Nick's lips on mine and all of the sudden I'm not thinking at all...


	9. Chapter 9

It's the Wednesday after the weekend at my dad's house and Nick and Kevin are in crunch time to finish recording Nick's solo album. I haven't talked to him in a while (actually, since he dropped me off at home after my dad's house) so after work I decided to stop by with dinner for him and Kevin. Knowing Nick and how single minded he is, he probably is forgetting to eat regular meals.

I walk in to his studio in my work clothes, carrying two plastic bags full of Chinese food for the boys. I figured whatever is leftover they can eat later. If Nick lets them, that is.

I open the door quietly and Kevin turns around in his chair. His eyes light up at the smell and he looks and the food eagerly. Nick is in the recording section singing with his eyes closed.

He finishes the song and looks up to see me. A wide smile crosses his face and I mirror one right back at him. It's only been three days, but it feels like forever. He almost trips over his feet because he's trying to get out of the recording booth so quickly.

I give the bags to Kevin and he starts to unpack them while Nick runs up to me and gives me a huge hug and a kiss. His eyes are sparkling in that way that I love and I'm wishing it was just me and him in this room right now.

"Hey," he breathes still not letting go of me, "I missed you. What are you doing here?"

I gesture to the food that Kevin is laying out on the table, "Bringing you dinner. I knew you would never break for food if it was up for you, so I had to intervene."

"You're too good to me, baby," he says kissing me again before letting go of me and grabbing my hand to lead him over to the food Kevin has laid out.

"I love you," Kevin says piling his plate full of food, "I seriously think I'm in love with you Miley Stewart."

"Hey! Watch it!" Nick says jokingly and we all laugh.

"Sorry," Kevin says with his mouth full, "But Nick, I haven't eaten in like twelve hours. I know you're serious about this music thing, but eating is necessary."

"You have to eat, Nick," I say sternly and start putting food on a plate for him. I'm honestly worried about him. He's working way too hard and he needs to keep a healthy eating schedule to say healthy. I don't know what I would do if something happened to him.

"Okay, Mom," he says smiling. He's teasing, but I know he loves me making a fuss over him like this.

"I am not your mom," I say pretending to be angry. I put his food down in front of him, "Eat," I command. Kevin is shaking his head at our antics. Please, like him and Danielle are any better.

"No, you're not my mom," Nick agrees picking up a fork with one hand, "'cause if you were my mom, I couldn't do this," he says sweetly before grabbing me by the waist and pulling me down onto his lap.

"You guys are disgustingly in love," Kevin says rolling his eyes, "I'm going to go eat in the lounge," he piled even more food on his plate and then left.

Nick and I look at each other and laugh. We keep laughing and I'm not sure why, maybe it's just the giddiness of seeing each other again. Finally, we stop and we're both just staring at each other.

"You look good," he says looking me up and down. My work outfit is sexier than usual, not that I did it because I knew I was going to see Nick. Okay, well, maybe... It consists of a tight high waisted black pencil skirt and a purple silky top that follows my curves perfectly and of course the mandatory black heels.

"Thanks," I whisper into his ear and I feel him shiver.

"How about you sleepover tonight after Kevin and I finish in the studio?" he asks his breathing getting heavy while his grip tightens slightly on my waist, "I've missed you."

This is a big deal. From what I've heard about Nick from his family (and the media) he is a hardcore worker. He would stay up all night recording if someone will let him. So the fact that he's even planning on going home for me is pretty astounding.

"It's been less than three days, Nick," I say turning in his lap to face him while giggling at him.

"Please?" he asks with a puppy dog look on his face. How can I resist that? And honestly, I've missed him too. A lot.

"Maybe if you're good..." I say mysteriously, "Now eat!"

"I don't wanna eat," he says in a little kid voice, "I wanna spend time with you," he adds in his normal voice pushing my hair to the side and kissing my neck softly.

"Nick..." I say warningly as he continues to place soft kisses all over my neck, his lips are inching for my collarbone and I know if we go any farther I'm gonna lose it.

"Mmhm?" he says not taking his lips off me.

"Save it for tonight," I say in a sexy voice, giving into him. He looks up at me and smiles proudly, knowing that he's won.

"Now please eat, baby," I say handing him his fork back, "For me? I need you to be strong and healthy."

"You know," Nick says as he starts to eat, "It's really not fair when you do that."

"Do what?"

"Use the 'for me' card," he explains, picking up another forkful of fried rice. I laugh at him while he continues to eat and I tell him about my week so far.

A short half hour later, Kevin comes back in announcing that they need to get back to work if they want to finish at a reasonable hour tonight. Nick excuses himself for a moment and goes out into the hallway.

"Thanks so much, Miley," Kevin says as I start to pick up the trash and leftover food, "This was really thoughtful of you. You know how Nick gets when he's working, he'd forget to breath if it wasn't a reflex."

I laugh at him and he starts to help me put everything away, "It's not a problem, really. I'd much rather you guys stay healthy."

Kevin chuckles and goes to put the leftovers away while I wait for Nick to come back. Finally he comes back in and I wrap my arms around him.

"How much more do you have to do?" I ask him curiously. Not that I'm in a hurry to get to his house or anything. Of course not...

"I just have to finish up vocals on one more song for tonight and then there's a duet on the CD... We need to find someone for me to sing it with, but I don't like any of the available- wait!" he says interrupting his own sentence, "You should do it with me!"

"What?" I say as if he's crazy, "That's completely... no, no. I couldn't..."

"Why not?" he asks eagerly, getting excited about it, "I mean, obviously you can sing. And this song is perfect for us. Please?"

I shake my head at him and he gives me that puppy dog look and I shake my head again.

"Fine," he says, "Then I guess I'll just have to have some boring, lame singer who can't sing as good as you, like Mikayla, sing on my first solo album and everyone will hate it because it will be awful and then there goes my solo career. But you know, if you don't want to do it that's fine..."

"Ugh. Fine, I'll do it," I say giving into him for the second time. This boy sure has got a hold over me.

"Yes!" he says pulling me into a huge hug. I can't help, but be a little excited though. This is my first time recording in forever and I've definitely missed it.

Kevin walks back in the room and stares at Nick curiously, "What are you celebrating about?"

"Miley's gonna sing the duet with me!" he says excitedly.

Kevin looks at us skeptically. I know what he's thinking. Nick just asked me because I'm his girlfriend. He doesn't think I'm talented. Well, little does he know I used to be an international pop star, so I guess he'll see.

Nick's so cute as he's teaching me the song. Watching him play guitar is mesmerizing. He does it so effortlessly it makes it seem like anyone could just pick it up. I can't even remember the last time I played a guitar, but I know that it sure ain't easy. He plays me the chords and shows the the lyrics, singing them and showing me how to sing them.

I love his new sound. It's more simple than what he usually does with his brothers and the duet's really good. Finally, we're done practicing and we call Kevin and go into the sound booth.

"Ready?" he asks me handing me a pair of headphones. I nod shakily. Honestly, I'm nervous. I know he thinks I'm good and he told me I was doing wonderful and he loves my voice, but still. That's his job as my boyfriend.

The music starts up and Nick begins to sing. (_Italics is Nick_, **Bold is Miley**, **_Italics/bold is Nick and Miley_** the song is Makes Me Happy by Matt White Band, you should listen to it! I changed some lyrics though, and cut some stuff out while they're singing for length)

"_It s the morning, the white light hits your face, your head upon that pillow, I let you radiate. you spend all day, twisted up in sheets..._"

I join in and I can't help but get butterflies in my stomach as we harmonize, "**_One of those days, one of those moments, you just, make me happy_**"

Now it's my turn.

"**It's amazing the happiness you bring, I never had no cold night with you here next to me, so we, we take our time, living it up loving life, So why**"

"**_It's one of those days, One of those moments, You make me happy_**"

"_I need your lovin, and your kisses too Make that stomach Do that butterfly thing..._"

"**_Don't you feel the same?_**"

"_Tell me love: Do I make you happy?_"  
"**You make me happy**."

"_Oh you inspire me, Never needed love, No, no not me. Tell me love: Do I inspire you?_"  
(A/N: I cut out a verse here)  
"_Oooooo, You inspire me, Never need another love, No not me Tell me love: Do I inspire you? Never need a no, no, no Not you Tell me love: Do I make you happy?_"  
"**You make me happy**"  
"_Cause I m startin to flame and no one can tame it 'cause you make me happy, I wanna go home with you. So we can, so we can get happy_"  
"**Never need no reason to come to you 'cause you make me happy Oooo what about you?**"  
"_Do I make you happy?_"  
"**You make me happy**."  
"_Do I make you happy?_"  
"**You make me happy**."

"_**You make me happy...**_" we both finish in perfect harmony. Neither of us can stop smiling at each other. He pulls me close to him and kisses me softly.

"That was wonderful baby," he whispers in my ear. And I smile at the sincerity of his voice, "And you make me very, very, very happy," with each very he kisses me again, "That songs about you. Obviously. About us. You inspire me," he quotes from the song.

I smile. He wrote a song about us. I should have known, but I didn't want to assume anything. There's probably no better feeling in the world than knowing someone you love wrote a song about you. None, I swear. Words are nice, but nothing really shows emotions like a song.

"You make me happy," I counter, "And you're very inspiring. I love you."

"I love you too," he says kissing me again.

"Uh, guys?" Kevin's voice comes through the headphones, "Can you guys break it up for two seconds?"

I blush and Nick laughs, "Yeah?"

"That was really good you guys," he says honestly. I know that Kevin would never say that if he didn't mean it, "Miley, I didn't know that you had such a good voice. You guys sound really good together."

I smile and Nick's phone rings, "One second, this is important," he says before flipping the phone open. I exit the booth and go sit next to Kevin.

"So you and Nick..." he says with a mischievous grin on his face, "You guys are pretty serious."

"Yeah, I guess," I say blushing and turning my head to hide my smile.

"Don't worry," Kevin says reassuringly, "He likes you. You're a great girl for him. I've never seen him this happy or laid back. And our family likes you so you're good."

"Aw thanks, Kevin," I say. I love that his family likes me. It really means the world to me.

"If he does anything stupid, just let me know and I'll talk some sense into him," Kevin jokes and I laugh. I look up at Nick.

Uh-oh. He does not look happy in there. His face is red and he looks really frustrated. If he was the kind of person who yells he would be screaming. He's pulling at his hair which is definitely a bad sign.

"He looks mad," I say worriedly and Kevin looks up to look at his little brother. Suddenly he shuts the phone and comes out of the studio.

"Someone fucking leaked a story about Joe," Nick says angrily to Kevin. I know its bad when I hear Nick cursing. He's not usually that kind of guy.

"What?" Kevin and I ask simultaneously and we both stand up.

"Someone said something about him 'having a rough time' and now our parents' house is flooded with reporters and paparazzi trying to get a story."

My heart sinks. Shit. It was me. My fucking boss! I can't believe it. I can't believe I said anything and I can't believe she fucking reported it! I look at Nick nervously. Do I tell him?

"Well, who's the source?" Kevin asked. He's a lot calmer than Nick, but you can still tell he's concerned.

"They're going to call me back in a sec," Nick said looking at his phone as if willing it to ring.

My stomach suddenly fills with dread. Is it possible that they'll link it back to me? This is so awful... I should just tell hi-

Nick's phone rings and he immediately picks it up.

"Talk to me," he barks into the phone. I've never seen him this rude, but he really likes to keep his private life private, "Are you sure?" he asks into the phone before hanging up.

I look down. I know he's looking at me. I just know it. I can feel it.

"Hmm... funny story," Nick says angrily and tears are already welling up in my eyes, "Apparently their source came from E! News... turns out one of their employees is dating one of the Jonas Brothers..."

Finally I look up with tears in my eyes and Nick's looking at me with so much disgust I flinch. Kevin is standing still looking at me confused as if he's unsure what to believe. Nick's waiting for me to defend myself.

"Okay," I say taking a deep breath, "So I might have said something, but I didn't mean it to-"

"You didn't mean it to get out?" Nick cuts me off angrily, "You should have known! What did you gossip to one of your little friends? Well, I hope you're happy."

Tears are now rushing down my face, "Nick! It just slipped... I wasn't gossiping! I swear! My boss-"

"Your boss?" Nick says throwing his hands in the air, "Wow, that's classy, Miley. What did you get a promotion?"

I can't believe the accusations Nick is throwing at me right now. He's not even listening to me! How is it that less than ten minutes ago we were singing a duet happily in love?

"No," I say, starting to get angry at him, "Actually, she was going to fire me. Because your people couldn't keep the paparazzi away from your stupid private jet. So maybe before you start accusing people you should get the whole story!" I finish off screaming. Then I grab my purse off the table and rush out of the room and down the stairs to my car.

Stupid Nick. I don't need him anyway, I tell myself. Why would I want to be with someone who automatically assumes the worst about me? Whatever. All I need is to get home, take a shower, and cuddle up in my bed with some ice cream and a movie and I'll be fine. Just fine...


	10. Chapter 10

I'm fine. Absolutely fine. I don't need Nick. It doesn't bother me that we ended...

Okay, so I_ might _have spent the past few days alone in my room. Nick has been calling, but seriously, I don't appreciate the way that he jumped to conclusions about me so I've been screening his calls.

It's Saturday night and Lilly is heading out to the hottest clubs, but I just don't feel like joining. I took a long, hot bubble bath and I plan on watching a movie and then going to sleep. So what? A girl is allowed to mope after a break up.

Especially a girl that doesn't have a job now. That's right. I quit the gig at E! How could you expect me to stay? They offered me tons of money for a tell-all, but no matter how pissed at Nick I am, I will never be that person.

So I'm sitting here in my room when the doorbell rings. I pray silently that Lilly will get it so I don't have to get up and thankfully she does. I wonder who it is. I strain my ears to hear their voices.

Shit... is that? could it be? Oh, God it is! It's Nick. You think he'd understand me not picking up my phone is a way of saying I don't want to talk to him, but no. I quickly run to the bathroom and run a brush through my tangled hair while squishing my mouth with mouthwash. I don't have time to change, but at least I'm in a clean pair of sweats and t-shirt.

I hear Lilly laugh and the door close. Did Nick leave? I hold my breath and then almost scream when there's a knock at my door. I open it to see Nick standing there.

Dammit. Why does he have to look so cute? He's in dark jeans, nice shoes, and a tucked in black dress shirt. His familiar smell wafts into my room making me shake slightly, but I hold my ground.

"Can I come in?" he asks nervously running a hand through his hair. I want to say no and slam the door in his face, but instead I nod and let him in. He walks in and then turns around to face me so that my bed is behind him and I'm in front of the door still.

"Listen, Miley," he says pleadingly, "I'm so sorry. I should have over-reacted like that. I should have listened to you, I should have-"

"But you didn't," I cut him off with an attitude. He looks surprised, like he's never seen this side of me which I guess he hasn't. I feel my anger towards him rising in my chest and suddenly all the things I've been feeling are spilling out of my mouth.

"You chose to believe what you wanted to. You think that I'm so cheap that I would just sell you out? Or that I'm a gossip? Were you not thinking? I thought you would understand that I, of all people, have something to hide and would never ever purposely let a secret spill!," my voice is getting louder and louder and my Tennessee accent becomes more prominent as I let my anger take over, "I can't believe after all the time we spent together that you would just believe something like that. Obviously, you can't trust me and I don't think that we should-"

Suddenly I realize that he's not even listening to me. He's just staring at me with that stupid smirk on his face, completely in his own world, "Nick!" I yell to get his attention.

Nick shakes his head and his curls move in a way that makes my stomach flutter. No, no, no, no I cannot be thinking of him in that way. I have to stand my ground.

"Sorry," he says in a low voice coming closer to me, "Has anyone told you how hot you look when you're mad?"

Oh, God. He's coming closer and I catch his scent again, making my head spin and heart race.

"Nick, stop," I say moving back. His actions are making it harder and harder to stay mad at him.

"Seriously," he says stopping, but he's still entirely too close to me, "your accent starts coming out and your face gets all red and your forehead scrunches up. It's the hottest thing I've ever seen."

"Nick!" I yell again as he starts to reach out for me, "This is serious!" I say putting my hands on my hips.

"You look so sexy standing like that," he says smiling at my stance. I groan and shake my head while he puts his hands on the wall behind me so that his arms are trapping me on either side.

"Nick, stop," I repeat, but my voice has much less attitude and it almost trembles. I can feel my resolve weakening.

"I can't," he whispers and I shiver as his breath hits my ear. And then his lips are on mine and forget it. Everything I had to say goes out the window and I can't even remember why I was mad at him to begin with.

One of my hands slides into his hair and he moans at my touch while the other hand stays situated behind his neck pulling his face even closer to mine.

I part his lips with my tongue and we start a fiery battle. Oh, how I've missed this. His hands grasp onto my hips and pull them closer so that every inch of our bodies are touching. The only thing running through my mind is Nick and how badly I want him.

I jump up wrapping my legs around his waist and he gasps at the contact. My hands are still locked around his neck holding his face to mine and our kissing is getting more and more intense. I squeeze my legs around him harder and he backs up until we both fall onto the bed, me on top of him, straddling his waist.

His hands are everywhere, my hair, my face, my waist, my ass, my chest and it all feels so good. I pull his shirt out from his pants and then my fingers dance down it unbuttoning every last button until finally he sits up and I push it off of his shoulders while we're still making out fiercely.

He turns us over so I'm on the bottom while my hands become reacquainted with every contour of his chest and back. Soon my shirt is off and his callused fingers are all over my chest making me gasp and want even more.

I rip his belt out of the belt loops before unbuttoning his pants and pulling them off. He tugs my sweatpants and panties down off my hips and onto the floor. Now my lips are attacking his neck and collarbones making him moan with desire. I smile making my teeth graze his sweet spot and he flips us over so I'm on top again.

Finally, we're both naked and he slides into me. It's even better than I imagined. We're both being obscenely loud, but we can't help it. It's been far to long since we've been together this way or at all for that matter.

"Nick," I cry out as his mouth attacks my neck.

"Mi, baby, I love you so much," he gasps.

"I love you too," I say panting and we flip over again. Back and forth both of us fight for who has dominance. My nails are digging into his back and once again his hands are everywhere making me feel good in that way only he can do. I lose track of how long we're going at it before we both reach our limit and fall back down to earth.

He rolls off of me breathing heavily.

"We should fight more often," he says from next to me, out of breath.

"What? Why?" I say incredulously, leaning up to look at his face. He looks at me and smiles.

"Because, Mi," he says like it's obvious, "Our make-up sex is the most mind blowing thing ever."

I smack him on the chest before snuggling into it and we both full asleep exhausted, but happy.

I wake up in the next morning with Nick's arm draped around my waist and instantly a smile appears on my face. I reach onto my bedside table to check my phone for the time. 9 am on Sunday Morning. Perfect. 1 New Message from Lilly. I grin wider when I read her message.

**Lilly: Noticed Nick didn't go home last night ;) get it girl! lol, sorry i 4got to tell you, but i'm gonna be in NYC all week. see you when i get back!**

I carefully remove his arm from my waist and replace it with my pillow. I try and stifle a laugh when he pulls it closer to him and sighs in his sleep. Pulling on a bathrobe, I make my way into the kitchen.

I rifle through the cabinets finding everything I need to make breakfast for Nick and I.

I smile and blush to myself as I remember last night. It was... amazing. He was right, of course. Our makeup sex _is_ mind blowing. I giggle out loud as I cracked the eggs into the bowl.

Maybe it's post-sex-happiness or the fact that Nick and I are clearly back together, but I can't stop smiling and humming and even singing a little as I work in the kitchen.

An hour later everything is done- the scrambled eggs, the waffles with fresh strawberries and whipped cream and the sausage. Pulling a tray out of the pantry, I pile everything onto it with along with two cups of coffee and utensils.

I walk into the room and smile at Nick who is still sleeping on my bed. He rolls over and groans slightly as the light coming through the curtains shines in his eyes. I place the tray down on the bed.

"Nick," I say softly touching his shoulder. He shakes his head and moans before burrowing into the sheets.

"Nick," I say again right into his ear. The hairs on the back of his neck stand up, "Nick wake up, I made you breakfast."

Finally his eyes flutter open and he smiles when he says me.

"Morning, Mi," he says leaning up for a kiss which I readily give him. Then he sees the breakfast on th bed, "Wow, a wild night AND breakfast in bed? You're too good to me, Mi."

I giggle and climb back under the sheets with him, pulling the tray close to both of us. I offer him a cup of coffee and a fork which he takes. Instantly he digs into the waffles. His eyes close as he chews them slowly.

"Oh, my God," he says moaning like he's in heaven, "Don't tell my mom this, but I _think_ these waffles might be even better than hers."

"Aw thanks, baby," I say giggling then kissing him on the cheek.

He opens his eyes and looks at me, "I'm an idiot," he says seriously. I know he's talking about our fight.

"I know," I say teasingly. Sure he was an idiot, but honestly all is forgiven. I probably would have overreacted if I was in Nick's position too.

"And I'm sorry," he continued.

"I know," I say again, a smile forming on my face.

"And I love you."

"I know that too," I say grabbing his hand and squeezing it gently, "And I love you too."

He gives me that genuine Nick smile and I melt inside. We continue to eat and flirt until we're both full. Nick moves the tray down to the floor before pulling me close to him. I snuggle against him.

"What do you want to do today?" I ask him, looking up at him from my spot under his arm.

"Hmm..." he says pretending to think, "Stay in bed with you all day?"

"Why, Nick," I say jokingly, "That sounds like a wonderful idea!"

"I thought you might like it," he says smirking. He pushes my hair off my neck and places a small kiss behind my ear, "I can't believe I almost lost you," he murmured as he continued his kissing, making me giggle.

"You'll never lose me," I promise him, bringing his face to mine and looking him straight in the eyes, "Even if you want to," I add jokingly, just to lighten the mood.

"Well, good thing that's not going to happen then," he says shifting us so that I'm laying flat on the bed and he's hovering over me.

"What do you think you're doing, Nick?" I ask, my breathing already starting to get heavy.

"This," he says before capturing my lips into a fierce make out session.

Six hours and at least seven orgasms later, Nick and I have yet to leave my bed... or put clothes on. Currently, he is leaving light kisses all over my bare stomach while I giggle because it tickles.

"Stop," I say trying to push his head away from me.

"Never," he replies, continuing to tickle me with his lips.

"Nick, _please,"_ I whine trying to push him away again, but he just grabs my waist and laughs.

"Okay, that's it," I say pushing him away and flipping us over so that now I'm on top of him. He looks at me with that sparkle in his eyes that just kind of paralyzes me. He's so beautiful and he's all mine. It's kind of crazy when I think about it. How we met and everything. It's incredible. He smirks and I smirk back before kissing his neck. I nip and bite at it teasingly making him moan and sigh.

"Not so fun anymore, huh?" I whisper into his ear and he shivers.

"You're killing me, Mi," he says and I smile, but don't stop, "I need rest," he insists, "I need nourishment!"

I laugh at his exaggerations. I sit up, straddling his waist, "What do you want for dinner, baby?"

"Mm, let's just order in. Thai, maybe?"

I nod, "That sounds like a good idea, let me get the menu."

We both look it over and place our order. The man informs us that it will be there in half an hour.

"Well... you know what we could do in that half hour..." Nick says cocking his eyebrow.

I roll my eyes, "I thought you were tired," I say mockingly.

"Maybe once more," he says as if it's a huge decision, "I think I could handle that."

"Oh really?" I say straddling him once again. I smile when I feel him pressing hard against my leg, "Looks like you're right."

"I'm always right, babe," he counters shifting me into a better position on him before we're doing it all over again for the millionth time.

The doorbell rings (after we're finished, thankfully) and I put on the bathrobe and go to get the door.

"You're going to answer the door like that?" Nick says skeptically from the bed where he's still laying. I look down at the bathrobe. So maybe it's a little revealing, but what's the big deal?

"Uh, yeah?" I say.

He shakes his head, "We don't want to give the poor delivery guy a heart attack."

I laugh at his comment, "Who knows? This might be the best delivery of his night," I retort pointing to my body.

He shakes his head again before getting up and throwing on his boxers and one of his t-shirts from my dresser that I _might_ have stolen from him.

"I'll get it," he says reaching for his pants and pulling out his wallet.

"Nick! No!" I protest, "It's my house, I'm paying."

"Well, you're _my_ girlfriend, I'm paying," he says and I know there's no use in arguing with him. I roll my eyes and him and he smiles playfully at me and winks. I walk into the kitchen getting utensils while he goes to the door and pays for the food.

We settling on the living room couch, turning on a movie while we eat the Thai right from the box. It gets incredibly cheesy as we feed each other noddles and tease each other. Everything about today has been completely perfect.

"So," Nick said, putting down his empty box, "My record label heard the duet we did..."

My heart starts beating faster. Oh God. I completely forgot about that. I look at Nick waiting for him to continue. He smiles at me, knowing that he's keeping me in suspense.

"Nick!" I say hitting him playfully on the arm.

"Okay, okay!" he says, "No need to get violent! Sheesh. They loved it," he says with a huge smile, "They really love it. They're even considering it for the first single."

"Oh, my God!" I squeal happily, "I didn't think they would like it that much. I can't believe it! That's awesome!"

"I believe it," Nick said looking at me and smiling at my happiness, "You're amazing."

I blush. "Thanks."

"So I was thinking..." Nick said cautiously.

"Yeah?" I asked looking up at him.

"What if we..." he says. Jeez what has him so nervous? "I mean... what if you... with my help of course..."

"Just spit it out, Nick!" I say annoyed.

"What if you recorded a demo and we gave it to my record label?" he says quickly, "And try and get you signed again? As Miley?"

My mind is spinning. Recording again. New songs. To be perfectly honest, I never stopped writing songs. In fact I have a whole song book under my bed. But I never seriously thought about recording them or anything, they were more of a way to express myself. You see, as I got older I began helping Daddy write Hannah songs and some of them were even completely my own. I loved it, the freedom, the expression. Wouldn't it be wonderful to get to do that again? But as _me_, not pop-sensation Hannah Montana. Just Miley.

"Sorry," he says, taking my silence as a no, "That was a stupid idea... I just thought... the other day you looked like you really missed it..."

"No," I say slowly, with a smile creeping onto my face, "I wanna do it. I think that's a great idea, Nick!"

He smiles widely at me and I lean in to kiss him.

"I love you," I say with a smile.

"I love you, too," he replies, "Whether you're signed, unsigned, even though you're unemployed," I smacked him lightly and he smiled, "I love you anyway. And I always will."


	11. Chapter 11

Nick and I walked hand-in-hand into the studio to see Kevin already sitting down adjusting some things on the soundboard.

The past week, I've been in a writing craze, my fingers are bleeding from all the guitar playing, but I'm happy. Yesterday, we had a band that we hired come in and record the guitar part while Nick came up with a drum beat and a bass line. I have to admit, although I can play the guitar I'm not really comfortable playing it live or recording it. I also don't know that much about actually composing melodies apart from acoustic guitar. But I guess that's part of the learning process.

"You ready?" Kevin asks me and I smile and nod. I picked up my songbook and flipped it open to the first song we were going to record. Start All Over. I hummed the chorus to myself before getting up to go into the recording booth.

"Wait," Nick says grabbing my waist and leaving a small kiss on my lips, "For good luck," he says smiling. I smile back at him and go into the booth, ignoring Kevin who's shaking his head at us.

Everything is already set up and I put the head phones over my ears and stand in front of the microphone. I give Kevin a thumbs up and he starts the back track. I tap my toes and nod my head to the beat.

And next thing I know, I'm lost in recording. My lyrics are in front of me, but the truth is I know this song already. I smile at Nick though the glass. He has headphones as well so that he can hear me recording. Kevin adjusts something and I keep going. Finally I let out a last "start all over," and the guitar plays its last note.

Nick smiles and I wink at him. Kevin puts his mouth to the microphone and pushes a button so he can talk to me.

"Okay, we're going to go back to the bridge, okay?" he says and I nod. He plays the clip and I sing it again. After a few more times, finally I nail it and we move onto something else.

By the end of the day, my voice is exhausted. I haven't sung that much in one day since... well since I was Hannah back in high school. It's around five when we finish and I feel like collapsing and going to sleep the second I get home.

I drag myself into the shower and let the warm water relax me. I'm tired, but it's the content kind of tired, where you're happy after a good day. I made a cup of tea to soothe my throat and then went back into my bedroom before climbing under the covers and falling asleep.

I wake up suddenly as my phone rings from it's place next to my bed. I groan and look at the clock. Midnight. Who could possibly be trying to get to me at this time?

Nick: _can u come over? I miss u _

I roll my eyes and text him back.

_im not in the mood nick... im tired_

I put my phone down to vibrate so I don't wake up Lilly. Soon, it lights up and vibrates again.

Nick: _:( i just wanna sleep next to you... no funny business i swear._

Now how am I supposed to resist a line like that? I groan before texting him back _Be there in 20 mins. _I look in the mirror. I look pretty awful, but that's what Nick gets for waking me up in the middle of the night. I pull on a pair of gray sweats over my girl-boxers and throw a zip on hoodie over my tiny tanktop, at least two inches of my stomach are on display, but I'm too tired to care. Lastly I pack a toothbrush and a change of clothes into a tote and slide my flip flops on.

I get in my car, thankful that it's late and not many people are out driving so I don't have to concentrate that hard. I pull into Nick's apartment building and he buzzes me up.

The second I get out of the elevator to his foyer he's standing there. I smile unintentionally. His curls are all messed up and his face looks sleepy. He's wearing an old faded shirt and sweatpants.

Nick immediately engulfs me in a hug and I'm surrounded by his scent and wondering why I didn't want to come over at first. His skin feels so soft and warm against mine and I squeeze him extra tight.

He pulled away slightly and smiled at me, "I couldn't sleep," he says sheepishly.

"You're a pain in the ass," I tell him and he frowns at me, "But I love you anyway."

"Good," he says smiling and hugging me, "Because I love you too."

I yawn and he chuckles softly before grabbing my hand and leading me into his bedroom. The sheets are all rumpled on one side and he lets go and lays down. I put my stuff at the bottom of his bed and then unzipper my hoodie and fold it up. Then I slide of my sweatpants. His eyes are on me, or more precisely the new skin that is showing with my sweats off. I smirk to myself. What's the harm in messing with him a little bit? After all he did wake me up.

I crawled onto the bed and up to him. He sits absolutely still as if he's not sure what's going on. I hover over him, so that our bodies aren't touching, but our faces are centimeters apart. His breathing is getting shaky. Perfect. I capture his lips with mine and quickly slip my tongue into his mouth. I deepen the kiss and scratch my fingers against his scalp lightly. He groans into my mouth and brings his hands up to my bare sides.

"I thought you didn't want to..." he says as I start leaving kisses down his neck. I pulled away from him and smirked.

"I don't."

Quickly, I flip off of him onto the other side of the bed and snuggle under the covers, facing away from him.

It takes him a second to register what just happened. I bite my lip to keep from laughing.

"That was just cruel, Mi," he whines and pulls on my shoulder gently so that I'm laying on my back.

"That's what you get for waking me up!" I tell him triumphantly. He shakes his head at me before moving closer and wrapping his arm around my shoulders in a cuddly way. I snuggle up against his chest, marveling at how soft his t-shirt is. I close my eyes slowly and just let Nick's heart beat and steady breath relax me.

"You seem tired," he whispers while running his fingers through my hair gently.

"Hmm... what gave you that idea," I say softly, but still sarcastically. He chuckles and I feel his chest rumble. He continued to play with my hair, bringing me closer and closer to sleep.

"You sounded wonderful today," he says and I mumble a thanks into his chest. I'm so close to sleep now. My breathing is becoming more and more even.

"Sleep tight, Mi," he whispers and places a soft kiss on my forehead before I drift to sleep.

The next morning I wake up to the light streaming into the room from the crack in the curtains. I don't want to get up, the bed is so warm and soft and it smells just like Nick...

Nick! I get up suddenly, realizing that Nick is no longer next to me. I blink my eyes until the room comes into focus. The door to his bedroom is open and the smell of bacon wafts into the room along with some music I can't identify from this far.

I smile and run my fingers through my knotty hair before getting up and stretching. I go into the bathroom and wash the sleep from my eyes. Then I walk into the kitchen.

_I've got sunshine on a cloudy day  
when it's cold outside,  
I've got the month of May_

I lean against the door frame and watch Nick as he cooks. He's singing along to an old song by The Temptations as he flips the pancakes and fries the bacon. He looks so carefree and so _real, _my heart is on fire just looking at him.

_I guess, you say__  
what could make me feel this way?  
Miley, Miley, Miley  
Talking 'bout Miley..._

My smile widens as I hear the change in the lyrics. I stand up straight and stand behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist.

He jumps slightly in surprise before spinning around and blushing.

"How long have you been standing there?" he asks nervously.

"Long enough," I say smiling at him. My arms are still around him, hugging him loosely, "I think that was the most adorable thing ever."

He smiles and some of the blush fades from his cheeks. He hugs me tightly before letting go and looking at me with a pout on his face.

"What?" I ask him puzzled.

"I wanted to bring you breakfast in bed!" he pouts and again and crosses his arms.

"I'm sorry," I say in a baby voice, giving him a lip of my own. He just shakes his head.

"I'm sorry," I repeat, making my voice huskier, more seductive, "How can I make it up to you?" I ask running my nails up and down his back.

Nick makes a face like he's thinking, "A kiss would help," he finally decides. I smirk before placing a lingering kiss on his lips. He sighs in pleasure.

"You're forgiven," he says leaning his forehead against mine. We stand together for a moment, just enjoying each other. Suddenly, the smell of smoke invades the kitchen and Nick turns around. The bacon is seriously burning.

"Shit!" he yells before turning the stove off quickly and taking the pan off the burner.

I can't help it. He look so distressed, like he doesn't know what to do. I start laughing. Nick turns and looks at me incredulously, but I still can't stop.

"You think this is funny, Miley?" he asks putting his hands on his hips. I nod my head through my giggles and he gasps in shock. "That's it!" he says before grabbing me and throwing me over his shoulder.

"Nick put me down!" I say, but in all honestly, I can't stop laughing, so I probably don't sound too convincing. He carries me into the bedroom, "Put me down!" I repeat.

"Okay," he agrees before throwing me gently onto the bed before climbing on top of me.

"That is _not_ what I meant," I tell him, crossing my arms. He gently uncrosses them and holding my wrists in his hands.

"I know," he says leaning closer and closer, "This is even better," he crashes his lips against mine and even though I'd never admit it to him, he's right. This is definitely better.

"I love you," I say when we break apart and stroke his face softly.

"I love you more," he says with that smile on his face.

"Not-uh"

"Uh-huh"

"No."

"Yes."

"Nope. Not possible."

"Okay, you're right."

"What?" I ask him staring at him like he's crazy. That is not how this play fighting is supposed to go, "You're just going to _agree_ with me?"

He nods and smirks, "Does this mean we can have make up sex?"

I smack him on the shoulder and he winces in mock pain.

I roll out from under him.

"C'mon, Nick. Get your mind out of the gutter. We can go out for breakfast before going to the studio."

After much grumbling, Nick gets up and we both get dressed and ready to go. After breakfast at a local diner which consists of chocolate pancakes with whipped cream smiley faces, we head over to the studio.

When we get in Kevin is grinning from ear to ear. I look at him with a raised eyebrow and he continues to smile.

"Alright, you're kind of creeping me out..." I say laughing nervously.

"We've been given the green light to record a full album," Kevin says excitedly. He's probably almost as excited about this album as I am. It's going to be the first album that he has produced fully so it will be just as much him showing what he's got as me.

"Oh, my God!" I shout before running up to Kevin and wrapping my arms around him, "Are you serious? Please tell me you're not kidding!"

"Nope," Kevin says with a smile after hugging me back, "No jokes. After your duet with Nick and the one song we recorded the other day, the execs have already decided that you are definitely worth it. Congratulations!"

I turn around to look at Nick and he's looking at me with so much love and pride, I just freeze for a minute. I want to remember everything about this moment. The way his smile looks, the way his eyes are shinning, shinning because they're looking at me and he way he runs up to me, grabbing me around the waist and spinning me around and around until I'm almost sure that I'm not on earth anymore. This must be heaven.


	12. Chapter 12

Two weeks later and we're still working on my album. Everyday feels like a dream. It's perfect. And I mean perfect. I never realized how much I truly missed making music and knowing it's going to be shared with the world. It's such a powerful feeling.

Another day, another late night in the studio because of course we were goofing around too much to get enough work done. Kevin left around eight so that he could go home to his wife while Nick and I stayed to lay the vocals for one more track.

I'm nervous because I'm going to be singing a song I wrote about him, Dream. I go into the recording section and sit on the stool, adjusting the headphones to my liking before giving Nick a thumbs up.

He began to play the background music that we had previously recorded and I bounced my head to the beat before staring my vocals.

_Do me a favor, tell me what you think about me  
Tell me how you want this to be  
Go out on a limb and just...dream  
Paint a picture, choose your colors extra wise  
especially what you put on my mind  
imagine what it'd be like to touch the sky_

As usual when I sing, the room began to fade, even Nick standing in front of me faded from my conscious thoughts. But, of course, Nick is still on my mind. How could he not be? This song is all about him inspiring me to reach for my dream of singing again.

_Woah you're giving me the will to try  
do you know there's happy in these eyes?  
Woah you got my head in the clouds  
Woah you got me thinking out loud  
the more you dream about me the more that I believe  
that nothing's really out of reach  
So dream, dream, dream_

As I finish up the song I look up and see Nick just starring at me in awe with his mouth open a little bit in shock. I blush, of course, and look down. In a matter of seconds he's opening the door to the studio and pulling me into his arms kissing me fiercely.

"I love you," he says, "You're amazing. You deserve everything."

I smile, "Thanks, I love you too. And you're the amazing one."

"Not as amazing as you," Nick insists before pulling me into another kiss and the next thing I know our clothes are scattered across the floor and we're showing each other just how much we love each other...

I wake up to the feeling of scratchy carpet under my back and a warm arm draped across my waist.

Nick's laying on his side next to me with his arm around me while I'm laying flat on my back.

I turned to face him and hold his face gently, pushing his curls behind his ears and playing with his hair until his eyelids slowly flutter open.

Upon seeing me his face instantly morphs into a smile, the smile that I'm in love with.

"Good morning, angel," he says pulling me closer to him.

"'Morning," I reply nuzzling into his neck, something I know drives him crazy.

"Mmm," he groans happily.

"What time is it?" I ask him starting to kiss his neck. I feel him reaching for his jeans and digging in the pocket before pulling it out.

"Shit," he says getting up suddenly, "We have about... five minutes until Kevin gets here."

"Shit," I repeat reaching for yesterday's clothes and throwing them on, leaving my cardigan off so it looks like I _might_ be wearing something different. Nick seems to be thinking the same thing because he only puts on his white undershirt, not his plaid button down.

"Last night was amazing," he whispered into my ear before kissing me gently on the lips and heading back to the soundboard and adjusting some things.

I follow him and right on cue, Kevin walks in.

"Hey guys!" he says, "You're here early... did you guys even sleep last night?" he asks with a mischievous grin.

_Oh if only you knew_ I thought suppressing a smirk.

"Well, let's hear the song you guys recorded last night," Kevin says getting down to business.

I immediately excuse myself to go to the bathroom. One, because I'm sure my hair looks like crap and two, I hate listening to myself played back. It's embarrassing. I never think I sound good, and then I have to listen to everyone else say that I do.

Once in the bathroom, I stare at myself in the mirror. Ugh. Awful. My make up is under my eyes, no wonder Kevin thought we didn't sleep. I brush it off using water and a paper towel before getting to work on my hair. I combed my fingers through it before giving up and just throwing it up into a pony tail. Not great, but definitely an improvement.

I walk back to the studio and the door is open slightly. I pause before going in, wanting to know what they think about the song without me there to be offended. I'm completely surprised and baffled by what I hear though...

_Oooh, Nick  
Miley! I love you..  
I love you too Nick, oh my God, don't stop  
Oh, my God, I'm going to...  
(screams and moans)_

A blush rises to my cheeks when I realize what the noise is. Apparently before coming into kiss me, Nick didn't turn of the recording switch. Therefore, the previous night has been recorded in its entirety. Awesome.

I can't go back in there now, so I wait shifting slightly so I can see Nick and Kevin. Nick is sitting in his seat blushing like crazy, exactly like I am, and Kevin is cracking up before cutting the audio.

"Oh, my God, Nick!" Kevin says still laughing.

"Shut up," Nick says angrily, but I can hear the smile in his voice. Ugh, boys. Although I'm smiling too remember last night.

"What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't," Nick answered, "God, Kev, she just looked so beautiful singing and it was incredible. She was so into it... Watching her sing was such a turn on. I just couldn't resist."

Kevin stopped laughing and nodded his head, "That's love man."

It was Nick's turn to nod, "Yeah, I really do love her, Kev. I really do."

"She's a good girl," Kevin agrees, "And mom loves her, she's perfect for you."

"I know," Nick says with a goofy smile on his face. It gets quiet so I walk in loudly and both boys look at me with guilty looks on their faces.

"Hey!" I say acting clueless. I walk over to Nick and stand behind the chair he's in and run my hands down his chest, "What'd I miss?"

"Nothing!" Nick says a little too quickly, "Just listening to 'Dream'"

"Oh yeah? How'd you like it?" I ask smiling at the way both Kevin and Nick are squirming. They look so uncomfortable, I'd laugh if the situation wasn't so personal.

"It was really good," Kevin offers honestly after a brief pause, "You did a great job writing the lyrics and you nailed the vocals first shot. We'll just add some back up vocals and I think we're perfect."

"Awesome," I say taking a seat on Nick's lap, "What are we doing today?"

"We have to record vocals for a few more songs and we're right on schedule. The whole album should be finished by the end of this month." Kevin says smiling at me. He knows how much this album means to me even though he doesn't know my secret. And honestly, I don't plan on telling him. Hannah's not part of me anymore and everyone has the right to keep their past a secret. I only told Nick because I love him so much I want him to be able to know every part of me.

I'm recording the vocals for "Let's Dance" when a woman walks into the studio. I narrow my eyes. Mikayla.

Now I know what you're thinking, so what Mikayla and I were enemies like ten years ago? But seriously that girl still annoys the crap out of me. Her voice sounds like a robot its edited so much and she dresses like a hooker. Excuse me if I can't respect that.

Currently, she's sporting a short, short denim skirt and a tiny tanktop with a cropped jacket over it. Her dark hair is in perfect curls and designer sunglasses sit atop it. On her feet are heels have have to be at least five inches. Slut.

Okay, so I have no proof that she's a slut, but still, I mean, come on look at her!

She walks over to Nick and taps him on the shoulder and he gets up while Kevin continues to work the soundboard. They go to the back of the room which I guess is better than them leaving all together. It's not that I don't trust Nick, it's her that I don't trust.

I finish the song and walk back out into the room with the soundboard. Kevin gets up to go to the bathroom and Nick turns from his conversation with Mikayla and looks at me.

"Hey Miley," he says, "I have to grab some paper work really quickly. This is Mikayla, Mikayla, this is my girlfriend, Miley Stewart." He leaves.

I put on a smile for Mikayla. This is what show biz is about after all, faking it.

"Hey! It's nice to meet you. I'm a huge fan of your music," I lie.

"If I had a dollar for every time someone told me that..." she says rudely sounding bored and rolling her eyes, "Although I guess I don't really need the money after all," she laughs airily with a flick of her wrist.

I just stare at her. What do you possibly say to that? She looks me up and down and I feel uncomfortable under her gaze. You can tell that she doesn't think that much of me. To be fair, I just spent the night sleeping on the floor and haven't showered for a day, but she doesn't know that.

"So you're Nick's new squeeze," Mikayla says sounding fake even to my ears. What is this bitch talking about?, "I've dated him, you know. But it was just a fling. He loves new talent. Don't worry about me," she says in a way that makes me worry about her. Sure, she doesn't seem like Nick's type, but she's saying that they dated. I vaguely remember Nick telling me those were rumors though...

Whatever. It doesn't matter. Nick has me now. We are perfect for each other. Even his brother thinks so. Even he thinks so. Even _his mom_ thinks so. Mikayla can suck it.

"It must be nice," she continues and I look at her confused, "To date him, I mean. It has it perks, like getting this record deal. Just make sure you break up with him once you're big enough. No one likes a girl who's taken. Single is always better."

"I didn't get my record deal because of him!" I say, but even as it comes out of my mouth I'm wondering. Could it have been that way? Did they only like me because Nick was backing me? And because of our duet? Not that it matters. I mean, I was Hannah Montana. Clearly I had talent. But people don't know that. And the tabloids are going to know that we're dating, it's not like we're exactly secretive about it. Oh my God, people are totally going to think that I got my deal because of him! Ugh.

"Oh! Of course not," Mikayla says with a wink, "Don't worry I won't say anything. Besides everyone sleeps with people to promote themselves in this business"

I'm about to open my mouth and say something when Nick comes back in with some papers in his hands.

"Hey girls, did you guys get to know each other?" he asks us smiling.

"Oh yes," Mikaya says, "I think we'll be great friends."

"Of course," I say smiling fakely and Nick gives me a strange look.

"Well, Mikayla, here's your contract. Have your people look over it and sign it and then fax it over and we can get started on your new record." he tells her handing her the paper.

Ew, they're going to be working together. Sucks for Nick.

"Thanks Nicky," she says and gives him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. He returns the hug awkwardly and she finally leaves.

He look at me with a teasing smile on his face, "Sorry, she can be a litte much."

"Ya think?" I ask laughing with him even though deep down my mind is still hooked on what she said to me before.

"So," Nick says wrapping his arms around me and pulling me close to him, "I think we started something we didn't finish this morning... Do you want to come over tonight?"

To be honest, I've spent the night at Nick's almost every night for the past two weeks. No, we don't just have sex. I just like being with him even if we're just sleeping. There's something so great about waking up in his arms, it seems to guarantee a good day.

"Um," I say, "I think I should go home tonight. I mean I practically live at your place... Lilly probably misses me," I let out a tiny laugh, trying to make it into a joke.

"Oh, yeah, okay, that's fine," Nick says looking a little disappointed and for a second all I want to do is kiss him and tell him I changed my mind, but I hold my ground.

All of the rest of the day all I can think about is what Mikayla said. I don't want people to think that I only got a record deal because of Nick. I hate people who start stuff like that. I know that I should just ignore that feeling because it doesn't matter, I know that I've worked hard, but I just don't want people to say bad things about me. That was the only downside of being Hannah. Haters always want to start stuff. They can't just believe that a girl has talent and that people like her.

Laying in bed that night, I debate what to do in my mind and by morning I wake up knowing what I have to do.


	13. Chapter 13

**So first off, I just wanted to say... THANK YOU SO FREAKING MUCH FOR VOTING ME "BEST NEW AUTHOR" IN THE NJK AWARDS! Also, Still In Love With You got 2nd for "Best Niley" and Back to the Start got 3rd place "Best Romance". If you follow me on twitter, you'll know that I was completely freaking out. You guys are really the best. And a special thanks to everyone who works on the NJK Awards, it's really nice to have a place where your work can be recognized. So this update is for you guys. Now... on with the story!**

The next day I call in sick to Kevin and tell him I can't make it to the studio.

My head is still kind of spinning after yesterdays interaction with Mikayla and after knowing what I have to do. Break up with Nick. I try to convince myself that its what's best for both of us. Maybe sometime again in the future we can be together again, but right now I just don't need a relationship, right? I mean, why would I need a guy who cares for me loves me and treats me well? Ugh. Not helping.

I bury myself under the covers, not caring that it's a million degrees and I can hardly breathe under there. I just want to go back to sleep and not think about it. Yeah that seems like a good idea.

But as hard as I try I can't sleep. Because I can't get Nick off my mind.

The phone rings.

It's him, I know it's him without even looking, but I can't bring myself to answer the phone. Two seconds later, it's ringing again. Over and over, I hear the buzz of my cellphone. Then the house phone starts ringing and i silently say a prayer because Lilly is out for the day. I dig myself deeper into the covers and pull a pillow over my head to drown out the noise.

Why can't he figure out that I'm either too tired or too sick to talk to him? Or maybe I just don't want to talk to him. Why does he have to be so damn annoying and keep fucking calling me? I just want to be alone. Why is he so clingy?

Part of me knows that I'm just trying to find reasons to be mad at him even though I shouldn't be. I'm just looking for an excuse to break up with him because I know the one I'm using right now is silly. Why should I care what people who don't even know me say? But I do and I can't help it.

Fifteen minutes later, I hear someone come in the apartment and my heart stops. Should I be scared? Worried? Is it a burglar? A murderer? Is Lilly back early?

Then it hits me. Last week I gave Nick a key to the apartment because I needed him to pick something up for me while I was still at the studio with Kevin.

I come up from under the covers and try to look as sick as possible. Although I do look pretty nasty and sweaty so I don't really need to do anything.

Nick bursts in the door and sees me laying in bed.

"Oh Mi," he says softly and rushes over to the side of the bed and feels my forehead, "You feel really hot. Have you taken your temperature? What hurts? Have you taken any meds? Do you want anything? Let me get it for you."

Why is he being so pushy? Why can't he just leave me alone for one freaking day? Isn't it enough that I work with him everyday and practically live at his house?

"I'm fine," I say sheepishly and he looks at me worriedly.

"I knew it must be really bad if you stayed home from the studio," he says gently pushing a lock of hair off my sweaty face, "You weren't answering your phone so I came over to check on you."

"I was tired," I say, avoiding his eyes because I know that they're probably filled with hurt from my rude statement.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

An awkward silence hovers over us. It's probably one of the first we've ever experienced together. I'm dying to break it, to say something, anything, but I tell myself not to. I think he's expecting me to break it too because he's not saying anything either. I can't even look at him so I don't know what he's thinking or feeling or what the expression on his face is like.

This is ridiculous. It feels like we've been sitting here in silence for ten years. I have to break. I have to do something, anything...

"I think we should break up," I blurt out nervously before realizing what I'm saying. Shit! Did I seriously just say that outloud? Good one, Miley. Good one. Way to be smooth.

"What?" Nick says laughing and shaking his head, "Is this some kind of joke I'm not in on?"

He doesn't even sound upset. He honestly thinks I'm just joking about something. Oh boy. I can do this... I can break his heart and let him leave... Oh God.

"No..." I say slowly, "I really think we should break up."

"Stop," Nick says, "You're being ridiculous. This isn't funny."

"I'm not trying to be funny, I'm serious."

Nick lets out a mirthless chuckle, "What reason could you possibly have for breaking up with me?"

I can't tell him the real reason. He's a guy, he'll never understand. Boys don't get upset or bothered by people talking about them. It doesn't hurt them emotionally the way it does girls.

"I just think that I really need to be single right now," I explain, "I really just want to focus on music and stuff and it's just kind of hard when I have to focus on a boyfriend too."

Nick snorts, "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. If anything I help you with your music."

"But we're always together, and then I'm tired in the studio and I just think that I could be doing better if I wasn't so distracted."

Hmm... I don't know about you, but this lie sounds pretty convincing to me. He understands music and being focused. He should get this.

"Okay, then we'll spend less time together. Or sleep more when we are. Problem solved."

Oh, my God, why can't he just be a normal person and just take me seriously and leave? Do I have to spell it out for him? I didn't want this to be messy, but he keeps arguing with me.

"No, Nick," I say forcefully, "I want to break up. Why is that so hard for you to understand?"

"Why?" he asks me standing up, "Why is that so hard for me to understand?" he repeats. Oh, no. He's talking in that slow angry voice. You know, that voice that's even worse than yelling. "It's hard for me to understand because just one night ago we were making love in a recording booth. It's hard for me to understand because I love you so much and I don't want to let you go. It's hard for me to understand because I _know_ you love me too."

A tear rolls down my cheek. He's right. He's so right it's not even funny. But I have to do this. For me. I don't think I can handle the media's accusations, I can't handle the rumors and speculation.

"Sorry," he says automatically after seeing me cry. He puts his hands on his head and let's out a long puff of air, "Listen, Mi, if this is what you really want, I won't argue with you anymore."

Then he starts to bring his hands to my face, cradling it gently in his two palms. He wipes my tears away with his thumbs, which only inspires more tears.

"Is this really what you want?"

"Yes."

"Say it."

"I want to break up with you."

"Are you absolutely sure this is what you want?"

"Yes," I insist and next thing I know his lips are crashing against mine in one of the most emotional kisses of our whole relationship. And somehow, even though I know it's wrong, I know that break up sex only hurts people, I can't help, but want to be with him just one more time. I can't help that I'm in love with him. Somehow I need to let him know that I do still love him and that one day we can be together again and this is the only way I know how.

So that's why the next thing I know our clothes are coming off and I'm being pulled into the most amazing, heartbreaking, breathtaking, emotional, steamy, hot sex of my life even though I know I'll regret it in the morning.

I wake up to see Nick sleeping next to me. I groan and get up. I don't want to be here when he wakes up. I can't deal with that.

I mean why not add more reasons for Nick to hate me, right? So I get up quietly, get dressed, and grab my keys. I can't believe I fucking slept with him. What is my problem? Why am I becoming this person?

_Because you still love him_ a voice in the back of my mind says, but I push it down because I don't want to be having those kind of thoughts right now.

I pass the time by going grocery shopping, and just generally staying away from the apartment building. I purposely left my cell phone at home so that he can't call me. So I messed up, but from this point on it's going to be a clean break, I swear.

You know a clean a break as it can be considering I'm working with his brother and he tends to hang out there too.

Much, much later I drive back by my building and I'm relieved Nick's car isn't there anymore. I walk into the apartment exhausted and collapse on the couch.

"So..." I hear and look up to see Lilly standing over me, "Care to explain why I was woken up by Nick Jonas trying to figure out where you were? It pretty much took me an hour to convince him there was no need to call the police."

"Ugh," I groan and put a decorative pillow over my face, "I broke up with him," I say muffled into the pillow.

"What?" Lilly exclaims, "Okay, this is crazy, but I thought you just told me you broke up with him," she laughs just like he did, confirming that this break up was the most ridiculous thing ever.

"I meant what I said," I say getting up and glaring at her for laughing. She instantly stops laughing and looks at me worried.

"Why? You guys seemed so perfect."

Next thing I know the tears are flowing and I'm sobbing into her arms telling her the whole story while she strokes my hair and tries to get me to calm down.

"Was I wrong?" I ask her when I finish. I'm a little scared on the answer, but I know that Lilly will be honest with me.

"Personally, yeah, I don't think it was the best way to handle it, but Miley you gotta do what you gotta do. If this is what you see as the best option, then it's good that you did it. I just hope you don't regret it later."

_Me too_ I think before getting up and going into my room. My phone rings. Nick. I know it without even looking. I mean how many other people call me anyway? Not many. I guess I kind of owe it to him to talk to him, right?

"Why are you calling?" I ask rudely after picking up the phone. I don't want him to get the wrong idea.

"Wow, that's one way to greet your boyfriend," he says laughing. Talk about denial. Why does he have to make this the hardest thing in the universe?

"Nick, we broke up," I tell him, "You're not my boyfriend anymore." It hurts even just to say it.

"No, wait..." Nick says desperately, "I thought that was make up sex. I thought we were good now. C'mon, Miles. Don't do this," he begs. Tears are already filling my eyes. This conversation needs to end soon before I break down.

"Nope, it was nothing but break up sex," I inform him before hanging up the phone and switching it off.

After the tears stop falling, I fall into a restless sleep, thinking about how tomorrow I'm going to have to face his brother and most likely him.


	14. Chapter 14

The next morning I wake up an hour earlier than usual to start my beauty regime. I'm trying to find a good balance between looking nice and looking over the top. I don't want to torture Nick, but I don't want to look depressed or anything.

About a whole tube of eye gel and a pound of makeup later, my eyes are looking significantly less puffy and I look a lot more like I didn't cry myself to sleep. I settle on a pair of my favorite skinny jeans and a purple v-neck t-shirt before grabbing my Keys and heading for the car.

I'm preparing for the worst when I walk into the studio, but it's nothing at all like I thought it would be. Kevin and Nick are both already there. Kevin looks up at me and nods slightly. I give him a small wave. You can tell by the way he's avoiding my eyes he's trying not to be judgmental, but still doesn't know how to face me.

Great. This shouldn't be incredibly awkward or anything.

Finally, I let my eyes shift over to Nick. He's sitting in one of the big chairs in front of the soundboard, just looking down. He looks awful. Absolutely awful. I'm pretty sure he's still wearing the same clothes he was when he came over and his hair is a mess. His eyes are all red and squinty. Please tell me he's not crying. I can't deal with that.

"Good morning guys," I croak out uncomfortably.

Nick looks up at me, his eyes traveling over my body and I can't help but feel guilty.

"Morning," Kevin replies while Nick just stays silent, just staring at me. This is starting to get extremely uncomfortable. I look around the room nervously while Kevin continues reading the sound charts for the next song. The silence is honestly unbearable.

"Miley, can I talk to you?" Nick asks suddenly. His voice sound so small and far away. I've never heard him like this before.

"I-"

"Please," he insists and all I can do is nod and let him lead me out into the hallway.

"Listen, Miley," he starts, using my full name, "I'm not proud of how I handled things the other day. I should have just respected your wishes to break up." His voice is trembling and my heart is breaking over and over again. Why does he have to be so goddamn sweet? Why does he have to make me hate myself even more?

"I shouldn't have taken advantage of you in such a vulnerable situation," he continues, he _would_ blame himself and not me, "I was just really shocked. I thought we were working perfectly together, but I guess I was wrong."

It takes me a moment to gather my thoughts, but finally I gather the courage to speak.

"Right now just seems like a bad time," I tell him, at least that's partially the truth, right?, "I have a lot on my plate and I just don't think it's fair right now." I try to put an emphasis on right now, for both his benefit and mine, but I'm not sure if he's getting the hint.

"I get it," he says gently, "I think though... I think I should stop working on the record with you."

That makes sense and it's kind of a relief, but of course I'm not that big of a jerk that I'd say that. I mean, it's not like I'm trying to break his spirit.

"No," I protest halfheartedly, "You don't have to do that."

"I think it's for the best," he says softly, "Besides you have Kevin... you guys make a great team without me. You're really talented, Miley. I hope you know that."

"Thanks," is the only think I can sputter out even though there's so much more I want to say. Like how much I love and admire him and how much he's helped me through this thing. I want to tell him how much he means to me and how he'll always have a special place in my heart, but I don't. I can't. That would just be completely inappropriate and wrong.

"No problem," he says with a terse polite smile, not the one he usually gives me, "'Bye Miley. I guess I'll be seeing you around now."

"Bye..." I echo softly as he walks down the hallway and out the door. After recollecting myself for a few minutes, I go back into the studio.

"Ready when you are," Kevin says from his spot at the sound booth. I make my way into the recording section, happy that I'm not singing a happy-in-love song today.

The music plays and I start to sing, "_Wake up, here I go, cram in all down my throat, stomach's so full that I wish I could choke..." _My throat is closing up while I sing and I know I sound completely awful. Even Kevin stops me and suggests we take a quick break.

Automatically, my body wants me to call Nick, but obviously that's no longer an option.

"So, I'm guessing Nick told you he's quitting your album, right?"

All I can do is nod and take a quick sip of water, trying to swallow my tears in the process.

"Why'd you do it, Miley?" Kevin asks softly. I look at him and I'm surprised that he looks genuinely concerned about me, not about getting the scoop for his little brother.

"Mikayla told me that people were going to think the only reason I got signed was because I was dating him," I admit. It feels good to say something about it to someone, "and I know it's stupid, but I can't help it. I just... I really need to do this on my own. I didn't realize how badly I wanted this until she said something about it."

I can tell Kevin's confused, after all he doesn't really understand why making an album, a real Miley Stewart, not Hannah Montana, album means a lot to me, but one secret at a time.

Kevin just nods to let me know that he's listening without agreeing or judging, he's just letting me get it all out.

"I've never been in a serious relationship like that, you know?" I confess, "It seemed almost... unreal."

"Hey, I've been there," Kevin says, "With Dani and I? I couldn't believe that I found someone that amazing. You and Nick will figure it all out. What's meant to be will happen."

"Thanks... I really needed to hear that."

"No problem, you're still like my little sis now, even if you're not dating my little bro." I smile weakly at him, "How about we just take today off?" he suggests.

"No! Kevin we already missed a day from when I was 'sick' and I don't think..."

"Take the day off," Kevin orders in a fatherly way, "You deserve it. Get some writing done. I know you're talented. I know this sucks, but maybe you can get some good songs out of it?"

"Yeah..." I say already drifting off into song writers world, "I think I've already got an idea..."

A few days later, Kevin and I are in the studio again. We're recording all the old songs that I wrote, but to be honest I'm just not feeling them anymore and I think Kevin can tell. It's just hard to sing about being in love when you're falling apart.

"Kevin?" I pipe up from inside the recording booth.

"Yeah?" he asks me over the speaker.

"I wrote a new song," I say blushing. Actually I've been working on it since that day he gave me off, but all of the sudden I really want to record it, "I was thinking maybe I could record it? Acoustic?"

He looks hesitant for a second, but then he notices my pleading eyes and he gives in. He knows just as much as I do that I have to get this out, even if it doesn't make the final cut onto my album. I grab one of the acoustic guitars laying around the studio and start strumming the strings.

"Wait," Kevin says coming in and setting up the right microphones and equipment to capture the sound of the guitar and my voice. When he finishes he goes back to the board and fixes some levels, making me play a few chords and sing a few notes before everything is perfect.

I start to play the notes and let the world around me fade away. There's no recording equipment, there's no Kevin, there's only me and the guitar and Nick in the back of my mind.

"_I see your face in my mind as I drive away... 'cause none of us thought it was gonna end that way. People are people and sometimes we change our minds, but it's killing me to see you go after all this time..."_

I look up and I'm vaguely aware of Kevin staring at me in awe from behind the glass, but I quickly push that thought out of my mind. It doesn't matter. It's not about how good the song is. It's about me and how I feel and how I'm sorry that things couldn't work out differently.

_"It's two a.m., feeling like I just lost a friend, hope you know this ain't easy, easy for me... and we know it's never simple never easy, never a clean break, no one here to save me... oooh"_

_"I can't breath without you, but I have to, breathe without you, but I have to, breathe without you, but I have to, breathe without you, but I have to..."_

_"I'm sorry,  
I'm sorry,  
I'm sorry,  
I'm sorry,  
I'm sorry,  
I'm sorry," _  
I finish with tears I didn't notice starting pouring down my face. **(a/n- the song was Breathe by Taylor Swift, I only used the parts that applied.)**

I look up again to see Kevin staring at me. He stares in silence for a few moments before he presses the button to talk to me.

"That was... great. Wow, Miles," he says, "Why don't we take a quick break?"

I nod because I still can't speak. I feel stupid for crying over Nick in front of his brother. I sink into one of the chairs and bury my head into my hands. I can't believe I'm acting like the wounded party when I'm the one who hurt Nick. I shouldn't be crying. I'm the one who hurt him. But that doesn't mean I'm not hurting either.

Soon I feel a reassuring arm around that feels so startlingly familiar, I look up. Of course, it's just Kevin, but him and Nick are bound to have the same mannerisms, they are brothers after all.

"It's okay to cry," Kevin says, "It shows that what you're singing about is real. You're not just some fake popstar."

"I know," I sob, "I just... It's hard without him... I didn't think..."

"You can never tell Nick I told you this, okay?" Kevin says looking at my face seriously. I nod to show that I understand, "Like seriously. He would literally have me murdered."

"Okay, I promise I won't say anything," I sniffle.

Kevin sucks in a breath of air, "He bought a ring..."

I gasp. That was definitely not what in a million years I thought he was going to say, "He... I... what?" ask confused and unable to make full cohesive sentences.

"He bought a ring," Kevin repeats, "He flew mom out especially for it. He knew he needed to find the perfect one and he knew she loves you and he wanted her opinion."

More tears spill down my cheeks. Is this information supposed to make me feel better? Because Kevin must be seriously deranged if he thinks it's helpful knowing that the guy I broke up with planned on asking me to marry him.

"But its only been like three months," I try and argue just to make myself feel better. Kevin must be mistaken. Maybe he was just buying me another type of jewelery and Kevin misunderstood?

Kevin shrugs, "He knew you were it, Miley. The one for him. Mind you, he wasn't planning on popping the question anytime soon. He just wanted to be ready for when the moment was right. He thought it would take longer to find and of course he wanted to talk to your dad... It's funny 'cause we honestly all thought Joe would even settle down before Nick found someone he'd want to marry. He was never really a relationship guy, even when he was younger. He liked being on his own better. But when he met you Miley, it's like everything we knew about Nick went out the window. The Nick you know and the Nick we knew are like total opposites."

"I do love him," I tell Kevin and he pulls me closer in his brotherly embrace and I lean my head on his shoulder. He doesn't even mind that my tears are rolling onto his designer t-shirt.

"I know you do, Miles," he says soothingly, "And deep down, Nick knows it too. That's why this was so hard for him."

"Do you think I did the right thing?" I ask, enjoying this brother-sister bond that I was never able to feel with my own brother.

"I think you needed to do what you needed to do," Kevin says after thinking for a moment, "The point of my story wasn't to make you feel worse. It was to let you know that Nick does love you, and you obviously love him. That doesn't happen a lot. You guys will work this out, but it's going to take time. If you needed this break, then you take this break. In my experience, everything falls into place."

"Thanks, Kev," I say and he gives me another tight squeeze.

"No problem, sis," he says and I smile, "Now get your butt back in that studio and let create some more hits."

I smile at his statement, but I can't keep his words from running through my head _He bought a ring..._ I know it was meant to make me feel better, but somehow it doesn't.


	15. Chapter 15

For the next few days, try as I might, I can't stop thinking about that stupid ring. Does he still have it? What does it look like? Is it silver? Gold? White gold? Are there diamonds? Does he know me well enough that he'll know I'd prefer less than more? How much did it cost? Where did he get it? What did his mom say? Was she happy? Excited? How does she feel now? Angry? Upset? Does she hate me?

Those are only a few of the questions that are running through my mind on a daily basis. I can't get them out of my mind no matter how hard I try. Luckily, I haven't had the misfortune to, God forbid, run into Nick yet, but I know we're bound to eventually. Right now, I'm just chilling, but soon once I start promoting my album, he'll be promoting his solo album too and we'll wind up at a lot of the same places, I guarantee it.

But now it's the weekend and Lilly is insisting that I go out clubbing with her, like our usual pre-Nick weekend routine. It's not that I mind going out... it's just that every place I go, there's a possibility of me running into Nick. I agreed though because I know Nick isn't on the club scene and if by some odd chance he's there, I probably won't be able to see him anyway.

Anyway, now I'm sitting in the living room, waiting for Lilly to come out of her room. I've barely made any effort in getting dressed besides putting on the mandatory club dress- tiny and tight. It's dark purple, sleeveless, ends a few inches above my knee and hugs all my curves perfectly. The top is a swooping cowl neck with a matching cami attached underneath. A black belt and black heels complete the look.

Lilly comes out looking 100x more fabulous than me in a great turquoise off shoulder mini dress. The color really compliments her eyes, which are done up all pretty, and her blond hair which is hanging down in curls.

"I don't get it," she says looking me up and down, "How come you're not even trying and you still look amazing?"

"Me? Amazing," I say with a laugh, "Have you seen yourself?"

We both laugh and smile and I honestly might be enjoying this little night out. We link arms as we walk into the elevator and down to the parking garage. Lilly offers to drive and even though I don't plan on getting trashed, I still appreciate the gesture. I know she's only trying to cheer me up and I have to appreciate that.

We get to the club and it's already packed even though it's barely even past ten. Several girls are already drunk and dancing their asses off. My hips are already unintentionally swaying to the beat and I automatically hit the dance floor, dragging Lilly behind me.

We dance and laugh while trying to avoid the grasps of the guys around us, preferring to dance on our own and let them admire us. "You can look, but you can't touch" is pretty much our motto in the clubs". Of course, it's hard not to brush up against people, but we don't let guys claim us. Lilly and I are both laughing hysterically at this young guy who is trying a little too hard and I'm starting to forget all the drama of the past week. All that matters is my best friend and the music.

After an hour or so of dancing Lilly yells over the music, "I'm gonna get a drink, you want anything?"

"I'll come with," I tell her and we make our way to the bar. After ordering our drinks, a cranberry with vodka for each of us, we survey the rest of the room.

"I'm thinking it's time to find some new victims," Lilly says, the alcohol bringing out a new side of her. She's by no means drunk, but both of us our giddy off of our GNO.

"I think that's the best idea you've had all night, Lil," I say with a smile and put down my empty glass. We make our way out to the dance floor and soon a light brown haired guy catches Lilly's attention. They start bumping and grinding, but I don't mind. I don't need anyone on the dance floor. I just concentrate on swinging my hips and arms to the beat, letting my long hair fall all over the place.

A few moments later I feel a pair of warm hands grab onto my waist from behind. I turn around to look at the stranger, but I can't get a good look at his face. Longish dark hair and a cute smile. Good enough for me.

Our dance starts out innocent enough (at least as innocent as it can get at a club filled with half-drunk people), but quickly turns into something else. I wouldn't even call this dancing anymore, it's more like just rubbing up against each other.

Now, I'm not a one night stand kind of girl, but I'm guessing that these kind of actions are how they start. I don't care though. All I care about is the adrenaline in my veins and the cute boy who is making me feel very, very liked. The attention is flattering and I kind of miss having someone around who wants to touch me. It's wrong, but I don't care.

Next thing I know mystery-guy is grabbing me by my hand and leading me into a dark corner of the club. He pushes me gently against the wall before capturing my lips into a fierce makeout session. Our tongues collide and twist instantly without hesitation and it all just feels _so good_. Kissing someone, anyone just feels familiar, even if it's not Nick's soft loving kisses. Mystery-guy's hands slide to my butt and cups it, squeezing firmly. I tangle my fingers in his long hair, pulling it gently, making him moan in my mouth. I jump up into his arms and wrap my legs around his waist.

I swear, I am not this kind of girl normally, but I could just really use some loving right now so I'm not thinking straight. Mystery-guy tastes kind of like vodka and stale beer and smells slightly like pot, but it's not like I'm searching for my future husband or anything, right?

Husband. Fiance. Ring. Nick. My mind jolts back to Nick. What would he say if he saw me in this position? Probably nothing good. I loosen my legs from around mystery-guy's waist and plant myself back on the floor. I pull my face away from his, blushing at the embarrassing sucking noise it makes, wow, we were really going at it. My eyes settle on this guys face for the first time and the strobe lights sweep over it. My heart nearly stops when I realize who this is. No, no. It can't be. It really can't be.

Standing in front of me, just after having a completely inappropriate make out session, is none other than Joe Jonas.

He's wasted. Obviously. And high. Awesome. But instead of thinking about Joe all I can think about is how upset Nick will be if someone finds out about Joe being like this in public. How much damage control he'll have to do. Which is why I make a quick decision.

"Hey," I say all flirty, "How about we continue this somewhere else?"

He smiles, a mirror image of Nick's smile and my heart aches for a minute. I pass by Lilly, letting her know with my eyes that it's okay and she nods at me. She looks a little confused, I'm sure she recognizes Joe, but she trusts me and knows I'll explain later.

We make it out to the street and he pulls out his car keys. He's definitely in no condition to drive, but I'm also scared to test his patience considering he's drunk. In my experience, guys do _not_ like being told they can't drive.

"Oooh a Porsche," I squeal convincingly when we get to his yellow convertible, "Can I drive?" I ask with a bat of my eyelashes.

He grins and stares at my chest. Lovely.

"Anything for a pretty lady," he slurs throwing me the keys which I surprisingly catch. We get in the car and I'm nervous about what we'll talk about. Lucky for me though, he's obviously too far gone to make conversation. We spend most of the ride in silence. He appears to be too wasted to even realize that he has no idea where I'm taking him. Thank God I got to him when I did then.

"Huh, this building looks familiar," Joe says staring up at his little brother's apartment when I cut the engine.

"Hmm, really?" I say distractedly while getting out of the car. Suddenly I'm nervous. Coming here seemed like such a good idea at the time. But now... not so much. What if he's with someone else? Part of me knows that won't happen. It's hardly been two weeks. But less then an hour ago there I was making out with his brother on the dance floor, so who knows? And it's not like this is going to change anything. It wasn't supposed to be a peace offering, like let's get back together.

But now that we're here I guess we have to go in. I get in the elevator and punch in the code for Nick's penthouse. Funny how I still know it, or that he hasn't changed it.

"You're sooooo beautiful," Joe slurs as we ride up all the floors, "And your skin is so... soft," he giggles rubbing my arm gently. I gently remove his hand from me, but he doesn't seem to mind or even notice.

Finally the door opens to Nick's penthouse. It couldn't have been soon enough. All the lights seem to be off. Hm, maybe I can just sneak Joe into bed and leave without even having to see Nick? I smile at the possibility. It's almost past midnight, Nick's probably sleeping by now.

"Wow," Joe says a little too loudly, "This looks just like my brother's apartment."

"Shh..." I say to quiet him and he nods like a little boy. I grab his hand and start to lead him into the foyer so we can go down the hall to the guestroom.

Suddenly I hear a crashing noise and I wince. Joe has run into the pedestal Nick has in his foyer. All that's on it is a vase filled with flowers that his cleaning lady replaces once a week, but it's still enough to make a formidable crashing noise._ Please don't let Nick wake up_ I pray to myself.

"Sorry!" Joe yells suddenly, "Sorry! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, I swear!" he continues to yell as I desperately try and quiet him down.

"Joe?" Nick's voice calls from down the hall and I smack my head with my palm.

"Nick?" Joe asks back just as confused. He looks at me and blinks a few times.

"Joe?" Nick says sternly, coming into the room, sleep still evident in his voice. His eyes squint to try and see both of us in the dark, "Are you seriously bringing random girls home to my house?"

Then, as if by chance, because of course I have the worst luck in the world, the clouds outside move to reveal the moon. The light streams in through the giant windows and everything is revealed.

"Miley?" Nick chokes out in shock. His eyes dart from my face, to my body, and finally to my hand clasped tightly around Joe's. I quickly drop it.

"Nick, it's not what it looks like," I say quickly.

"Really?" Nick says skeptically, "Because it looks like you're drunk, coming home from a club, _with my brother._"

"No," I argue, shaking my head and Joe looks at me confused.

"Wait..." Joe says, "I thought we were going back to your place?"

"No," I say rolling my eyes, done with the stupid flirty act, "You were getting a little rowdy in the club so I brought you home before you could do any damage."

Out of the corner of my eye I see Nick's gaze soften noticeably.

"Ohh, I see," Joe said giggling again, "You tricked me!" Thankfully, he's finding it funny instead of getting angry.

"Exactly," I say with a smile, "Well... now that we're all on the same page..." just at that moment Joe passed out, collapsing on me, sending me crashing to the ground onto the shattered pieces of the vase.

In an instant, Nick is right there pulling Joe off of me and helping me up. Tears collect in my eyes, but I fight off the pain, instead helping Nick hold Joe up so we can bring him into the guestroom.

"You're going to want to leave him on his side," I advise Nick who is putting his brother on the bed, "So if he throws up, he doesn't choke. You're also probably going to want to cover anything that you don't want to have to replace."

"You seem to have a lot of experience with this," Nick says conversationally, as if this was a normal situation.

"Yeah, well, my roommate in college had a lot of issues," I explain, "Too much party, not enough study."

"Oh," Nick replies while covering the floor next to the bed with plastic garbage bags from the bathroom and bringing in a waste basket, just in case he does happen to make it.

"So, um..." I say once he's done. He looks tired, exhausted actually. He has dark circles under his eyes and he's still in his pajamas. I just want to melt into his arms, but I guess I've given that up now.

"Thanks," Nick says giving me a small smile, "I appreciate you bringing him home."

"Yeah, no problem," I say trying to sound casual and running a hand through my hair, "Well, I guess I should go..."

"Oh, my God, Miley," he says suddenly, "Your arm!" he grabs my wrist gently to look at my arm. I wince. I forgot I had even cut it until he brought it up. There's scrapes all the way down my upper arm and there's small trickles of blood running down my elbow.

"Oh, it's nothing," I lie, "I'll just take care of it when I get home."

"You can't go home like this!" he says panicking, Nick has always been a worrier, "Come here... let me help you clean it, at least."

I don't even know what to say as Nick leads me into his room and then into his bathroom where the first aid stuff is. He pats the counter and I jump up on it. My eyes shift to the shower and I blush thinking about the times we were in there together.

Nick gently grabs my arm and studies it.

"There's glass stuck in here," he announces and I groan. He gently cleans the wounds with a cotton ball and water, making me wince slightly. He looks at me apologetically, "Almost done. Thanks for bringing Joe home, Miley. Who knows what other damage he could have done if he wasn't home sooner?"

"No problem," I say wincing again as he finshes up washing the wound.

Once clean, it looks a lot better. Several small scrapes, with one large gash right down the center. It still stings like hell though.

"I'm going to have to get the glass out," he warns me and he starts to try and clean it out. Tears run down my face as he squeezes and kneads my arm, trying to coax the glass out of my wound.

"Nick," I whimper and grab his wrist with my free hand. He looks at my face and he looks like he's in pain just seeing me in it.

"I'm sorry, just a little more, okay?" he said reassuringly. He's being so nice, I just want to melt. "Here, grab onto my arm and squeeze as hard as you want when it hurts." I grab onto his muscular arm and try to not notice how familiar it feels. He squeezes my cut again and I dig my nails into him. He doesn't even seem to notice.

"It's almost out, baby," he says concentrating on getting that damn piece of glass out. It takes me a second to realize what he just called me. Baby. Suddenly tears are filling my eyes for another reason, other than the pain.

"Got it," he says, as the small piece falls into the sink, covered in blood. He cleans my arm up again and puts band-aids over the worst parts, "All better," he tells me with a smile on his face.

Then he looks at me to see the tears. His face wrinkles into concern.

"Hey, what's wrong? It's over now," he says pulling me into his arms to comfort me. It's an awkward angle because I'm on the counter and he's still on the floor, but I don't care. I bury my face into his neck, "What's wrong?" he asks again.

"You called me baby," I say softly and honestly. I feel so stupid crying over that. It's just a word. It doesn't mean anything. But at the same time, it means everything. It's a term of affection, endearment. And he used it in reference to me.

"Oh, I- Sorry..." he stumbles awkwardly, pulling away from me slightly, but keeping his hands rested on my back.

"I love you," I say honestly, against my better judgment and against everything I've been trying to tell myself this past week. It just slips out naturally and effortlessly. I do love him.

He pulls away quickly and his face hardens, "You can't say that."

"But I do," I tell him.

"No. You can't break up with me and then say that to me," he insists, but it sounds like he's trying to convince himself more than me.

"Sorry," I say. Wow, what a stupid move on my part. What did I think would happen? I jump off the counter and hobble a little on my heels, while Nick's hand reaches out automatically to steady me.

"I should go... I need to call a cab or something..." I say, leaving his bathroom. He follows me out.

"Why don't you just stay?" he asks a little unsure. I look at him like he's crazy. Both of our emotions have been all over the place in the past hour or so. "Listen, it's late, I still have some of your clothes, you sleep on my bed, I'll take the couch."

"Nick, I can't-"

"Please, Mi," he says using my nickname, which I'm almost sure he did on purpose to make me cave, "Please just do this one thing for me. It's not safe to be out by yourself at this hour. Please just stay."

How am I supposed to say no to that? Seriously, how? I know what you're thinking. Wow, that Miley she's such a bitch for leading him on, she just needs to leave. But I can't say no to him. He's so incredibly sweet and caring and loving.

"Fine," I agree. He goes into the closet, pulling out a pair of my sweatpants and a one of my old sleeping t-shirts. It's weird how it's all still there, as if we're still together. He then grabs some sheets and a pillow from his bed and says goodnight to me before leaving the room, shutting the door softly.

Silence envelopes me as I get changed and climb into his bed. It smells just like him. How am I supposed to get any sleep in this situation? I toss and turn for an hour and even contemplate searching his room for the ring for a second. But I adamantly refuse to stoop to that level. That would really just cross the line. Instead, I slowly exit his room and make my way to the living room, where Nick is laying on the couch. I smile when I think about all the times we spent on that couch.

"Nick?" I say so softly that the only way he'll hear me is if he's awake. I don't want to wake him up.

"Miley?" he whispers back to me.

"I can't sleep," I tell him and he sits up looking at me. He pats the empty space next to him on the couch.

"I've missed you," he says and my heart breaks. The late hour and the tiredness is working in almost the same way as alcohol, making us vulnerable and honest.

"Me too," I admit even though I've been trying to hide it ever since we broke up. Suddenly his face glistens and I realize there are tears running down his cheeks. This night has literally been all over the places. From me bringing Joe home, to Nick taking care of me and calling me baby, to me saying I love him, to me sleeping in his bed, to me coming out here.

Why can't I just stop? Am I missing the part of the brain that is supposed to let a person know when something is wrong? Am I so selfish that I can't stay away from Nick even though I can't be with him the way he wants?

Next thing I know, his lips are crashing against mine. His hand are holding my face fiercely even though I don't remember him reaching up to grab me. Even if I wanted to I couldn't move away from the death grip Nick has me in.

"I'm sorry," he apologizes when he's done. I'm frozen in my spot. I don't know what to do.

"I love you," he says, "I love you so much... I just wish it was enough."

My eyes fill with tears. He sounds so sad. I can't do this anymore. I can't just lead him on. I need to just... stop. Stop all of it.

It literally takes everything in me to get up off that couch instead of telling him I love him too and kissing him again. All of my strength that I've developed over the years is put to the test now.

"Goodnight, Nick," I say before leaving him sitting on the couch. I don't look back, I can't. I go back into his room and make the decision to be gone before anyone wakes up. It's not like I'm getting any sleep tonight anyway.


	16. Chapter 16

A week after my awkward encounter with Nick at his house, we have another one. This time, at the recording studio.

I'm walking up the stairs and guess who's coming down with his guitar? You guessed it. Nick.

It's not even like I can pretend I don't see him. We're both heading straight for each other. Maybe he hasn't noticed me yet? Maybe I could turn around and just-

"Miley?" he interrupts my thoughts. I look up and plaster what I hope is a friendly smile on my face.

"Oh, hey Nick," I say. We both stop, he's a few steps above me and I'm looking up at him.

"How have you been?" he asks smiling warmly at me.

"Oh, uh, I've been good, you?" I stutter out, still confused as to why he's here.

"Good, just, um, recording a new song for the CD. I've been kind of..." he pauses and looks at me funny, "um, _inspired_ lately," he finishes.

"Oh," I say softly, "Well, I better get going... don't want to keep Kevin waiting..."

"Oh! Yeah, I have to, um, yeah, go too," he says awkwardly. Oh my God. This is so uncomfortable.

And it's only about to get worse.

I try and maneuver myself around Nick in the small stairway without touching him, but that's obviously not going to happen. Our chests brush against each other lightly and he's blushing while I'm trying to pretend that I don't feel tingles across my whole body.

I walk up the next few stairs and go through the hallway before opening the doors the the recording studio.

"Thanks A LOT, Kevin," I say sarcastically and throw my huge purse on the floor.

He laughs at me. LAUGHS at me. What a jerk. I glare back at him.

"Sorry, Miley, but honestly I didn't know he was coming in until this morning. He suddenly had an emergency song to put on the album."

"Great," I mutter under my breath.

"You know... his release party is in about two weeks. He would really appreciate you being there," Kevin said giving me that look that makes me feel about two feet tall.

To be honest, I got an invitation in the mail a few days ago although I wasn't sure if I was getting it as Miley Stewart: Ex-Girlfriend or Miley Stewart: Up and Coming Recording Artist.

"I don't know if that's such a good idea," I say avoiding his gaze. I mean, why put Nick and I through that? Having to act like nothings wrong, like we're just friends.

"Nick told me what happened the other night," Kevin says and I look at him embarrassed, "You guys obviously still like each other, so why are you doing this?"

"I just want to be able to know that I did this CD by myself. I don't want people to assume that I just got signed because of Nick," I explain even though the more I say it the stupider it sounds.

Kevin shrugs as if he's unsure what to say to me. And I don't blame him. What could he possibly say?

"Alright, time to get to work," he says pointing towards the sound booth

Two weeks later it's the day of Nick's album release party. It's technically the day before his solo album comes out, but the plan is to celebrate the night before so that when it drops he can be the first to buy it.

It's 9am and I'm laying in bed huddled under the covers. Technically, I RSVP'd that I'd be there, but I'm debating on which excuse would be the best to use to get out of it.

The dress I have to wear to the party is hanging up on my closet door, mocking me. The red glares at me as if screaming "you only bought this color because you know Nick likes it" and the one shoulder and short hemline only make me feel worse. What was I thinking buying that dress?

Someone rings the doorbell and I snuggled deeper under the covers, not wanting to get up... ever. I hear Lilly answer the door and some low talking. I strain my ears to try and guess who it is, but I can't tell.

"Uh, Miley?" Lilly says from right outside my door and I jump slightly in surprise, "There's someone here for you..."

I sit up in bed, but before I can even get up the door opens slowly and I'm shocked by who I see.

Standing in the doorway of my messy bed room is none other than Denise Jonas looking absolutely fabulous for 50, in a Marc Jacobs skirt and a Chanel blouse.

My mouth drops open and I stare perplexed. Oh God, please don't tell me she's here to yell at me or something.

But she doesn't look angry, in fact she's smiling as she enters my room. Lilly shrugs and mouths "Sorry" at me before leaving me alone with my ex-boyfriends mother.

"Hello, Miley," she finally says pleasantly and comes over to the side of the bed to offer me an awkward hug and a kiss on the cheek.

Finally, I've recovered enough to speak.

"Um, hi, this is a surprise..."

She laughs and smiles, "I know, but I'm in town for Nick's big night, of course, and I thought I'd come see you."

"Sorry about the mess," I say embarrassed, glancing for a moment at the dirty laundry piled in the corner and the clothes I haven't yet put away on the desk. Thank goodness my closet is closed.

"Don't worry, I came unexpected," she says, chuckling again. Okay, this is so weird. Why is she here?

"Is this your dress for tonight?" she asks going over to the closet door and touching the red dress, tracing the ruffle down the front with her finger.

"Yeah," I say watching her look at it.

"It's going to look beautiful on you," she says and I feel like crying. Why is she being so nice to me? I broke her son's heart. "I bet Nick will love it," she adds, coming back over.

I spring out of the bed, embarrassed by what a bad hostess I'm being.

"Sit, sit," I say clearing all the stuff off my desk chair and gesturing to it.

"Thank you," she says before sitting down and crossing her legs daintily. She's so graceful, I've never really had a womanly figure to look to except maybe my Aunt Dolly, but Denise is definitely the kind of woman I would love to turn out to be like. Elegant and poised, but still kind and loving.

"Um, not to sound rude," I start, taking a seat on the edge of my bed so that I'm facing Denise, "But why are you here?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were coming tonight," she says with a light smiling. But I know what she's doing. She's totally guilting me into going. And it's totally working.

"It's been so long since I've seen you," she continues and I can't take it any longer.

"You know Nick and I broke up, right?" I blurt out suddenly and then cover my mouth quickly.

To my surprise, she starts laughing, "Of course I know that, Miley. But I also know my son still cares deeply about him and seeing you I can tell you feel the same way."

"How-"

"A mother just knows this things, darling," she says with another chuckle, "So between you and me, why don't you tell me what this whole thing is about?"

I look at her skeptically. I mean, she's Nick's mom. Why is she coming here talking to me? And yeah right she won't tell him. As if reading my mind she responds,

"I mean it, Miley. I know that you don't have a mother to talk to about these kinds of things and believe it or not, sometimes us old people do know best. Nothing that we talk about right now will leave this room."

I know it sounds completely ridiculous. I mean who's ex-boyfriend's mother comes over and does this? I guess Denise. But she's here and I find myself trusting her.

Soon the whole story comes pouring out, about what Mikayla told me, how Nick reacted, and how I've been avoiding him because every time I see him I just want to get back together with him. Of course, I leave out the part about the break up sex and making out with Joe, but I think she gets the drift either way.

Somewhere in the story I start crying and by the time I'm finished Denise is by my side on the bed rocking me gently and stroking my hair in a manner extremely similar to her son when he's comforting me.

"Oh Miley," she says and just hugs me and I hug her back tightly.

"I don't know what to do..." I say softly, my tears subsiding slowly.

"Well, here's what we're going to do," Denise says suddenly with a smile on her face. She looks at her watch, "I have a nail/hair appointment in about ten minutes. You're going to come down with me and we're going to have a girls day, okay?"

I sniffle and smile at her nodding while she whips out her cellphone to make an appointment for me. Being the mother of **the** Jonas Brothers has its perks. I got into the walk in closet and put on a pair of denim shorts and a plain flannel button down.

Six hours later, Denise drops me off back at my apartment before telling me she'll see me later and driving off to her hotel room. The whole day was fun and I can't believe how warm and friendly Denise is especially since I basically threw her son's heart on the ground.

I'm actually feeling kind of excited about tonight, believe it or not. I mean, it will be fun right? It's not like it's just going to be me and Nick there. His whole family will be there and other friends of his.

I'm actually smiling and humming to myself as I shave my legs and moisturize, going slow so I don't mess up my hair which is in a loose bun with some curls hanging down the sides of my face.

When I'm finished getting ready I grab the red dress and undo the zipper before sliding it over my body. I adjust it in the mirror and smile at my appearance.

I get in my car and drive over to the small club where his party is being held. Luckily, its pretty low-key and very few paparazzi are waiting there. Most of them don't even know who I am although a few recognize me as the girl who was spotted with Nick Jonas a while back.

I walk in the room to see people mingling around with drinks, all the girls in pretty cocktail dresses and the boys in dress pants and nice shirts.

I look around the room and see Kevin and Danielle in one corner on a love seat, talking to people I don't know. Joe is near the bar, surrounded by girls. I blush thinking about the last time I saw him. I roll my eyes when I see Mikayla in the corner talking to someone I don't know, but who looks important, and really bored. Towards the back of the room there's a small stage, I guess Nick will be performing or something.

Just as I'm about to freak out because I don't know who to go talk to, Denise comes up to me and touches me lightly on the arm.

"Hello, Miley," she says warmly, "Nicholas will be performing in a few minutes, he's in the back now."

I nod and say hello to Mr. Jonas and Frankie who is tagging along behind is parents looking bored and pulling out his phone every few minutes.

"Hey, Miley," I hear and turn around to see Kevin standing there, holding hands with Danielle.

"Hey Kevin, Danielle," I say smiling and exchanging hugs and cheek kisses.

"Hi, Miley," Danielle said smiling, "It's been awhile."

"Yup," I say with a small smile and we continue to make small talk until the DJ who was coordinating the mingling music begins to make an announcement.

"Alright guys, in honor of his first released solo album, performing for you tonight, Nick Jonas!"

We all turn to the stage and clap lightly as Nick takes the stage with his guitar.

"Before I start, I wanted to thank you guys for coming out tonight. Um, thanks to my family for being here and supporting me. This is my newest song that I added to my album last minute. It's called Shelf."

**(A/N: I know this is a Jonas Brothers song, but uhh just pretend it's not, haha. If you can't imagine what this song songs like acoustic [i couldn't, hence why i found a link] there's a link to a cover in my profile. Also, ****I only used the parts that apply****. So forget the rest of the song haha)**

_I held your hand  
It felt like a movie  
I made some plans  
But you were already moving on_

I blush lightly. This song is so clearly about me. Even though no one in the room except Nick and probably his family know that I feel like there's a neon sign over my head letting everyone know its about me.

_Now I'm stuck under a rainy cloud  
But you don't seem to care  
But it's all right, 'cause it's  
Too late to pretend  
You know me better than I know myself  
Don't take my heart and put it on a shelf, yeah_

I feel bad and guilty because I know that he's right. Except about me not caring. I do care. I know it's not fair for me to keep coming up in Nick's life, but I can't stay away from him. I don't want to just lead him on, put him on the shelf for later when I want him back. But it's not like that.

_I'm tired of wasting all my time  
My heart is hanging on the line  
Is it me, girl, or someone else?  
Please take me off the shelf_

My eyes tear up slightly. Does he really think that this is about another guy? My heart nearly breaks at how soft and broken he sounds when he sings out the last line.

I bite my lip listening to the rest of song and Nick's family eyes me nervously. But all I do is smile and clap politely when he's done. He looks up at the audience to see every one's reactions and our eyes lock across the room.

For a moment all I can see is him and I don't even notice that everyone is giving me curious stares, confused as to why Nick is just looking at me. He looks surprised, but not upset. Then his face lights up.

"Well, this next song is going to be my new single and it's actually a duet, so I was wondering if the lovely lady who sings with me on it would join me tonight?" he says his eyes never leaving me.

Oh no. No, no, no. I haven't performed live since I was in high school. Not to mention I'll be singing a love song. With Nick. How could he do this to me? The lighting people catch on and a spotlight shines in my eyes.

"Go," Kevin whispers nudging me slightly, but I'm frozen in my spot, "Come on, you'll be fine," Kevin adds pushing me slightly again and I stumble a little, but it breaks me out of my trance.

Nick offers his hand to me to help me step onto the stage and my fingers feel like they're on fire. Once I get on he gives me a quick friendly hug and whispers, "Don't worry," in my ear making me shiver involuntarily.

The stage crew hands me a microphone and puts a stool down that I can sit down. I look at Nick and he smiles at me reassuringly. This feels... nice. Acting like nothing's weird between us.

He strums his guitar and starts singing

_It's the morning the white light hits your face, head up on that pillow, I let you radiate, we spend all day twisted up in sheets_

_**One of those days one of those moments, you just make me happy.**_

Nick's sitting there smiling at me as I start my next line and I'm smiling into the microphone. The rest of the room fades away and it's just like how it was when we recorded it. Just me and him in the studio looking at each other and singing our best just because we're in love and we mean every word.

And the truth is, I do. We're "broken up" but we still feel the same. I'm sure everyone in the room can feel the palpable chemistry between us because I know I sure can.

We both finish, looking at each other and smiling. I look down and blush slightly. Cheers erupt around us and I look up at the audience to see everyone clapping.

I stand up and Nick gestures to me and the applause become louder again.

"Miley Stewart, everybody," he presents me, "Her first album will be coming out later this month. I hope you'll all pick up a copy."

I beam at him and mouth thank you and he mouths you're welcome with that adorable smile on his face. I walk off the stage and blush as people stop me compliment my performance.

I make it back to Nick's family while Nick starts playing a new song.

"That was great, Miley," Danielle says and gives me a quick hug.

"Thanks," I say smiling embarrassed.

"You were wonderful," Denise adds and gives me a knowing glace. I knew someone had to have noticed the chemistry between us while we were singing. I just shrug at her before excusing myself to go get a drink from the bar.

Joe is still standing there, but he's alone now as all the girls' attention he had before is now focus on the guy with the guitar on stage.

I order a martini and the bartender makes it quickly before handing me the glass. I take a sip and wince slightly at the burning sensation.

"Hey," Joe says surprising me and making me jump slightly, "Sorry," he says with the laugh I remember hearing as Hannah Montana.

"Hi," I reply, holding back slightly.

"No need to worry," Joe say holding up his glass, "It's just Coke. I've been trying to stay sober."

"That's great," I say with a genuine smile this time, "How long has it been?"

"A week today," he tells me beaming happily, "Yup. I've been living with Nick. Staying in at night. It seems to be working."

"That's really, really great," I repeat because I really do mean it. I think it's awesome that he's trying to improve his life, "I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks, and, uh, sorry about that night," he adds awkwardly scratching the back of his neck just like Nick and Kevin both do. I smile at that. They're so obviously brothers.

"No problem," I say and laugh a little about how ridiculous it was and he joins in.

"Well, I'd hate to deny myself to any of the single women who will be so disappointed to find out that you and Nick are together, talk to you later, Miley," he says before walking away.

"Nick and I aren't-" I start, but he's already walked away and draped his arms around two girls. I roll my eyes and shake my head before focusing my attention on the stage and Nick who is still performing. Why in the world did I let him go?

It's almost 11:30 and I've successfully been able to avoid Nick except for a small word of congratulations for the whole night.

Everything's winding down and Nick should be leaving any second to go pick up his album and smile for all the paparazzi. Just like I'll be doing in a few weeks. It's not a job though, I know. A new album releasing is the most exciting thing ever and I know, as Hannah, how great it is to share that with your fans.

I'm about to get going and I look around the room so I can find Nick and say congrats and say goodbye to his family. I see Nick and Joe in the corner arguing with Denise standing in between them. I head over to the group, wondering what they're talking about.

"Joe," Nick said frustratedly, "We came together. You can't just leave now. I need the car."

"Well, I want to go home now," Joe argued, "Why can't you just hitch a ride with someone else?"

Denise catches my eye and she smiles.

"That's a great idea, Joe," Denise says and Nick and Joe stare at her incredulously. Suddenly she grabs my arm, "Miley, can take you, right?"


	17. Chapter 17

I wake up and the first thing I notice are the warm, strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind. Before I can even begin to comprehend who it is, a sudden wave of nausea comes over me quickly and I run to the bathroom hand pressed over my mouth.

My stomach clenches and I feel the bile coming up my throat, I make it just in time to the toilet and quickly throw up anything that's in my body, which unfortunately isn't much, causing my stomach to turn even more.

I know that I should go get some water and hydrate myself and probably take an Advil or something, but I can't even lift my head. I groan softly before closing my eyes pressing my flushed face against the coolness of the ceramic bowl. My head hurts and I feel extremely hungover. Maybe it was the five shots of vodka I consumed last night.

The world stops spinning for a moment and I open my eyes enough to see the guy who is laying in my bed. I squeeze them shut again trying to remember what happened and like magic the memory of last night replays.

_"Miley, can take you, right?" Denise said after grabbing my arm and pulling me into their conversation. All I can do is stand there and stare._

_"No, come on, Mom, I don't want to make her do that," Nick said, "Joe insisted that we come together, he can't just back out of his end of the bargain."_

_"But Nick," Joe argued, "What are you going to want to do after you buy your album? Go to a bar and celebrate, right? Well, I don't want to put myself in that kind of situation."_

_Nick sighed frustrated because he knew that Joe was right. I'm still awkwardly standing in the middle of their conversation._

_"It won't be a problem, right Miley?" Denise said, her grip tightened on my arm and I was scared what would happen if I dared to say no. I should have known from the start she was up to something._

_"No problem, at all," I said with a slightly forced smile._

_Nick ran his hand through his hair and I melted a little inside. Why does he have to have that effect on me?_  
_  
"Nick," Denise said and she gave Nick a pointed look. They're communicating with their eyes in that way that only really close people can. It was so adorable... I mean, it was awful. Because I know what she was trying to convince him to do._

_"Are you sure it's not a problem?" Nick said, concerned, "I promise I'll just run in, pick up my album, sign a few autographs and then we can leave."_

_"Yeah, sure," I agreed because I knew either way Denise would somehow find a way to throw us together. Ugh she is a sneaky woman. I know what she's trying to do and I appreciate her helping, but somehow I think an awkward car ride isn't going to make things better._

_Nick and I leave the club together, letting Denise stay back to take care of any guests that need help getting home after the open bar._

_I unlocked the car doors and Nick comes over opening the driver's side door for me. I shake my head at him and roll my eyes and he gives me a cheeky smile. This is already too much for me._

_"So..." I said, trying to start a conversation in the silent car, "How does it feel to be a solo artist now?"_

_"Honestly..." he said chuckling, "It feels weird not having Kevin and Joe at my side right now."_

_"I bet," I said laughing along. I couldn't believe we were actually having a normal conversation like friends._

_"Joe told me about how he's trying to go sober... that's awesome," I added conversationally._

_Nick's eyes lit up at the subject, "It really is great. I mean, Kevin kind of has his producer thing going on now, I have the solo career, so I doubt the Jonas Brothers will release anything soon, but Joe's always been interested in acting, so hopefully he pursues that."_

_"You know that was really nice of you to bring Joe home from the club that one night. I hate to think what would have happened if he had hit on anyone but you."_

_I blushed red, glad that we were in the car and it was dark so that he couldn't see me._

_"Well, you Jonas boys sure have good taste," I said sarcastically, keeping my eyes directly on the road. An awkward pause fills the car and I regret saying anything._

_"I guess we do," he finally said softly. I tapped lightly on the steering wheel just to bring some noise into the car._

_I pulled up to the Tower Records store where Nick will be buying his album. It was 11:50. Fans and paparazzi were already lined up outside the store with police barricades set up so that Nick can walk in._

_"Are you to come in?" he asked me as I parked the car._

_"Um..." I said hesitantly, eying the paparazzi warily. Wouldn't this be ruining the point of breaking up with him?_

_Unfortunately, he noticed._

_"Oh I see," he said with a smirk, "You're embarrassed to be seen with me."_

_"No..." I tried to argue._

_"Come with me."_

_"I don't think-"_

_"Please come with me," he said in a begging tone, "I don't want to do this alone."_

_Now please, answer me this... how in the world am I supposed to refuse that? The most annoying part is that he knows that he has me._

_"Fine," I said taking the key of the ignition and following him out of the car. Lights are instantly flashing in our faces and questions are being shouted at us. I couldn't understand what the paparazzi were saying, but I knew anyway. They want to know if we're dating. I clenched my fists slightly, but looked up and smiled at them because I know from experience that if you're nice to them, they'll be nice to you back._

_I waited behind Nick as he stopped to talk to fans and sign autographs and take pictures. He really was so sweet to them. Some of the girls were practically crying, but he never let on that he was freaked out or embarrassed by it._

_To my surprise, a few people asked for my picture and autograph too. Although they probably figured by tomorrow I'd be famous just for being seen with Nick. I think a few of them might recognize me from the last time Nick and I had pictures of us on the Internet too._

_Finally, midnight comes along and Nick went to buy his new album. The press are having a field day trying to get the perfect shot for them to run in their magazines, newspapers or blogs_

_I couldn't help but smile a feel a little... well, proud of him. It felt strange, but, yeah, I did have this sense of pride bubbling my stomach. He was so amazing._

_Nick stopped to talk to more fans and sign some more things and then finally we get back into my car._

_"Aren't you going to put it in?" I said smiling and pointing to the CD player in the car. He looked at me like I was crazy, "Come on. I wanna hear it."_

_Nick shook his head, but obliged, opening the package and putting it in._

_"So where to now?" I asked him, putting the car in reverse and backing out of the parking spot._

_"Oh, don't worry, you can just drop me off-"_

_"No. Joe said you wanted to go out. Now I didn't drive you just so that you could change your mind."_

_It was kind of weird and kind of nice how we were acting as if we were friends. Especially since we never really were friends in our relationship. We pretty much went from strangers, to business acquaintances, to a couple._

_Nick's voice filled the car and I tapped along to the beat while he sat in his seat looking flushed and embarrassed to be listening to himself._

_Soon we pulled up at the bar Nick wanted to go to. It was a little past 12:30 and the bar didn't close until 3. Fans of Nick's were lined up outside, practically begging to get in, but it was already at max capacity._

_It wasn't a club, it was just a good old fashion bar with small tables set up around where people could chat. Music played in the background, but people weren't dancing or anything._

_I waited while Nick greeted a few people I didn't really know. Somehow, fans of his (that were over the age of 21 of course) had known he was going to be here. Apparently this is where the brothers normally went to celebrate, ever since Nick turned 21._

_I sat at the bar watching Nick surrounded by fans and acquaintances. I didn't feel like getting in the way or anything so I just stayed by myself. I noticed a few random guys eying me, but I think my body language must have been giving off waves that said don't talk to me._

_"Can I get you something?" the bartender asked, putting a napkin on the wood in front of me._

_I was about to politely decline when I saw one of Nick's fans touching his arm and squeezing it gently. I don't understand how girls have the nerve to do something like that. Why can't they just see it comes off as desperate and tacky? But Nick didn't look upset or anything. He smiled playfully and made a muscle and everyone laughed._

_Whatever._

_"Actually I'll have a shot of vodka please," I told the bartender and he smiled and quickly got it for me. This was going to be a long night._

_One hour and four more shots later and the room was starting to blur together. Nick's crowd of fans was just one blob of different colors. I closed my eyes and rested my forehead on the bar, trying to make the world stop spinning._

_An arm suddenly rested on my shoulder and I lifted my head up quickly to tell whoever it was off._

_"Hey, you ready to go?" Nick asked smiling brightly. I blinked a few times until the room came back into focus._

_"Yup," I replied jumping off the bar stool and stumbling at little bit. The room still felt a bit shaky to me._

_"Woah, you okay, Mi?" he asked, using my nick name. I pretended not to notice._

_"Just fine," I said, but I think he could tell that I was drunk. I don't know what gave it away, my slurred speech or my inability to stand up._

_"Maybe I should drive," he suggested carefully._

_"But I'm supposed to drive you home."_

_"I'll bring you to your house and then call a taxi or something," he said and I nodded and handed over my keys. I may have been drunk, but I was sober enough to know that driving in this condition would be an awful idea._

_We got in the car and Nick starts driving. He's in such a good mood, I almost feel bad that I'm drunk and can't enjoy it with him._

_"So how much did you drink?" he asked with a laugh._

_"Just a few shots," I answered, leaning my hot face against the cool window._

_He laughed again, "Well, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."_

_"I didn't," I mumbled. Or at least I think I mumbled, but obviously it was loud enough for him to hear it._

_"Why not?" Nick asked me sounding genuinely concerned._

_"I had no one to talk to."_

_"You could've come talk to me."_

_"You were busy with your fans," I informed him. It was so hot in the car. I pushed the A/C button and relaxed as the cool air came over me._

_"But I would've made time for you."_

_Why is he so sweet, seriously? Why does he have to say things that make my stomach do little flips and make me want to smile so hard my face hurts? I swear, he does it on purpose to be annoying._

_Silence ensues in the car, but it's not really awkward, just quiet._

_"It's hot," I announced and kicked my heels off onto the floor._

_"That's because you're drunk," Nick said laughing again. I'm so glad he finds this all so funny because I certainly don't._

_"The world feels like it's moving."_

_"We're in a car, Miley," he said, laughing at me AGAIN. Gee, what is his problem?_

_"Shut up," I said and slapped his arm gently, "You know what I mean."_

_I ignored him the rest of the ride, half because I'm annoyed he finds this funny and half because I don't want to say something that will give him a reason to laugh at me._

_He pulled into my driveway effortlessly and got out of the car, coming around to my side to help me out. I would have just gotten out on my own, but I'm not so sure how this whole "walking" thing is going to go._

_"You know," Nick said, putting a hand on my back to make sure I don't fall, "You shouldn't get drunk like this. Someone might take advantage of you."_

_"Like who?" I said snorting, oh-so-attractively, "You?"_

_"I've thought about it," he said with a mischievous grin. My mouth opens wide and I stare at him. He just continued to smirk._

_"You're just saying that because you know I won't remember it tomorrow," I told him, clutching his shoulder as I concentrate on just trying to walk straight._

_Finally we get to the elevator and he pushes the up button. It opens immediately since it's late and obviously no one is using it. I stared at the blur of lights for a second before Nick reached out and pushed the one for my floor._

_"So," he continued, "You're saying that, hypothetically, if I did something tonight, you wouldn't remember it?"_

_"Nick, I'm drunk. I'm not in the mood for mind games," I said turning to face him. Suddenly his soft lips were covering mine in a gentle kiss._

_"So you're not going to remember that?" he whispered, bringing his other hand to rest on my lower back._

_"Probably not," I told him with a smirk, just to piss him off._

_"How about this?" he asked and kissed me again, but this time with more force and more passion. Wow, did it feel good to kiss him again. It lasted longer than the first peck and I can still feel it on my lips when he pulls away._

_"I doubt it."_

_His hands suddenly flew to my face gripping it tightly yet gently. His lips once again aim for mine. I could say that I was drunk and didn't know what I was doing, but honestly I just wanted to kiss him again._

_Almost immediately his tongue ran across my bottom lip and I automatically parted mine. His tongue slid into my mouth, making contact with my own. For a minute I was still just letting him kiss me. When I realized he wasn't about to stop I let my hands grip his waist and pull him closer. I deepened the kiss and enjoyed the rumble in his chest when he groaned._

_Suddenly, the elevator dinged and the doors opened revealing my floor. He pulled away from me slowly._

_"I might remember that one," I whispered into his ear. He smiled at me and let go so that we could walk down the hall. I could feel his hand behind me though, guiding me in case I fall._

_Slowly I reached down and grabbed for his hand, intertwining our fingers. I could've sworn for a minute that a smile flickered over his face._

_Suddenly, I don't know what happened, but I can't stop laughing at our awkwardness around each other as we make our way into my apartment. I guess it's the alcohol talking._

_"Shh..." Nick said chuckling softly which only makes me laugh harder._

_I pulled Nick by the hand all the way to my bedroom and he didn't protest._

_"It's so hot," I complained again and closed the door behind us. I headed to the closet while Nick sat down on the foot of bed. Without Nick's hand guiding me the room started to spin again and I couldn't make out any of the clothes in front of me._

_Fuck it._

_I unzipped my dress and pulled it over my head, not bothering to hang it up or anything. After that I left the closet to see Nick still sitting on my bed._

_His eyes locked onto me in my strapless black bra and matching panties._

_"Umm..." he said warily from his spot on the bed._

_Without a word I placed a knee on either side of his legs. His hands automatically landed on my bare waist._

_"Miley?" he whispered._

_"Nick," I said, placing my hands on his shoulders. He looked up at me and I looked down at him. His eyes fluttered from my chest to my face and back again. I giggled and pressed our lips together. His hesitation was only for a second before he kissed me back just as eagerly._

_I slipped my tongue into his mouth and his hands ran up and down my bare back making goosebumps appear on my skin._

_Nick lowered us both onto the bed until we were vertical with me on top. My fingers began to unbutton his dress shirt and it was quickly on the floor. My fingers ran all over his chest and he groaned softly. How could I have given this up?_

_Once his shirt was successfully off, this pants were next. I was drunk, but I knew what I was doing and I knew it was wrong. But it felt too good, too familiar to stop. Besides I was the drunk one, right? If anything it's his fault. At least that's what I told myself._

_He kicked his dress pants off his legs, taking his shoes and socks with them, the whole time neither of us stopped kissing. Words couldn't explain the feeling in my stomach I was getting just from being with him in this way again._

_I traced my fingers down his chest until getting to the elastic of his boxers._

_"Miley..." he moaned and I continued to try and get my hand into his boxers, "Miley..." he said again, but this time I realized he was pushing me away, firmly, but gently._

_"What?" I asked out of breath, pulling my face away from his and straddling his stomach._

_"You're drunk," he stated._

_"I know, I guess it's your lucky day..." I leaned in again for another kiss._

_"No, Miley," he said more firmly, pushing me off of him so that we were now laying next to each other, both of us in our undergarmets, "I don't want it to happen this way. And I know you don't either."_

_Inside I was screaming, yes, I do want it to happen this way. This way is perfect. The perfect excuse. But, as always, I knew he was right. This would definitely be one of those things that I'd regret._

_We both laid there in silence for a few moments._

_"I'm tired," I said randomly, breaking the silence._

_"Go to sleep," Nick said, a chuckle in his voice._

_"Will you stay?" I asked him sweetly, batting my eyelashes like in the movies. So maybe it came off as desperate, but I just wanted to sleep with his arms around me one more time._

_He looked me straight in the eye and I stared back at him for what seemed like forever. I could see everything in his eyes. His confusion. He wanted to know why I was doing this. Did I still like him? Or was it just because I was drunk and looking for a quick fuck? I could also see his hesitation. He wanted to stay, but he didn't want to get hurt either._

_I wondered if he could see everything I was feeling too. Every ounce of love I still felt for him. How I couldn't let him go even though I kept trying. How I kept coming back no matter how bad it would hurt. How badly I wanted him back._

_He must have seen something he liked though, because finally he pulled me into his arms and began humming gently. Before I could even comprehend what this meant for us, I was already sleeping like a baby._

"You okay?" Nick's voice comes from above me.

I lift my head up to look at him and my head fills with pain.

"Here," he offers handing me an aspirin and a bottle of water.

"Thanks," I croak and start gulping down the water.

"So was it worth it?" he asks and I can hear the stupid smirk in his voice. I hate him.

"What?" I ask playing dumb.

"Getting drunk."

"I feel awful," I say honestly, too worn out to argue.

He kneels down next to me and pushes a stray strand of hair out of my face, "Do you want to go back to bed?" he asks gently, pulling me into his arms to pick me up.

I shook my head and buried it into his bare shoulder, taking in his scent. It probably should be awkward that we were both just one step away from naked, but we're already so comfortable around each other that it doesn't matter.

"Then what do you want?" he says with a laugh.

"I want to get back together," I mumbled into his shoulder, afraid to look at his face.

"What?" he says, quickly, pushing me away so he can look at my face.

"I said, I wanna get back together," I state more clearly. I do. I want to be able to do this and not feel guilty. I want last night to happen again, but both of us sober and knowing we're not going to stop. I don't care anymore about what people will say. Nick makes me so happy, I can't even explain it. The second he came in the room I was already feeling better from my hangover.

Nick looked at me, his brow furrowed, as if he was confused. I don't get it. I thought he would just say yes and kiss me or something. I mean, it was kind of obvious he was still into me, right?

Then that one syllable, that one awful, terrible, disgusting, word comes out of his mouth and I feel like the world is coming to an end and my heart is crumbling into a million pieces.

"No."


	18. Chapter 18

Then that one syllable, that one awful, terrible, disgusting, word comes out of his mouth and I feel like the world is coming to an end and my heart is crumbling into a million pieces.

"No."

Wait... did he say...? No, he definitely didn't. Oh, my God. He did. He said no. I can't believe he said no. What the hell? How can he be so nice and funny and obviously be flirting with me while I'm drunk and then just say no?

"Not until you tell me why we broke up," he adds quickly and I look at him confused.

"I told you-"

"I mean the _real_ reason, Miley," he interrupts me sternly.

I don't get it. Why can't he just be happy that I want to get back with him?

"Why?" I shoot back with an attitude, even though it's not really him I'm angry at, it's myself because I don't have a good reason and I know it's not good enough and that he's just going to say no again when I tell him why.

He narrows his eyes at me and we both move apart from each other.

"Because I want to know, Miley. I deserve to know why you just dumped me out of the middle of nowhere and then all the sudden you want to get back together."

It's okay, I tell myself. Just tell him. Just tell him and it will all be better. I open my mouth to speak, but it's like I can't say it. I try again, but once again the words won't come out. It's going to sound so stupid to someone like Nick. He wouldn't understand the pressure of being a girl and the double standard. The way people will think I'm just with Nick to promote myself. The way his fangirls will all call me a "famewhore" and say that I'm using him. He just won't understand.

"Was it another guy, Miley?" he asks, out of the blue. What is he talking about?, "Did you find another option? Is he gone now, is that why you want me back?"

Does he really think I'm that person? Tears fill my eyes. It hurts me to think that he thinks so little of me. Why does he always do that? Assume the worst about me?

"That was out of line, Nick," I say softly, trying not to let him know that I'm hurt, but I think he can tell. He softens slightly.

"Was it?" he asks quietly, "I don't even know who you are these days, Miley. You're having breakup sex with me, you're bringing Joe to my house, you're telling me you miss me, you're flirting with me, you're getting drunk and trying to hook up with me."

"Excuse me?" I ask with an attitude. He did _not_ just try and blame me for last night, "I was the one who was drunk, you're the one who was sober. I'm pretty sure anything that happened last night was _your_ fault, not mine."

"Sorry," he spits out sarcastically, "Sorry, I can't stay away from the girl I'm in love with. Sorry you keep just throwing yourself in my face over and over. Are you trying to make me miserable, Miley? Are you trying to break my heart?"

Tears roll down my face. Why can't he see that it's not easy for me either? I just told him I want him back. Isn't it obvious that I still love him too? Is he really that stupid?

"No, I-"

"You want to know how stupid I feel, Miley?" he interrupts again, "That my older brother knows why you broke up with me, my mom obviously knows why you broke up with me, but you can't even bother to tell me? And neither will they. All they say is 'give her time, Nick' or 'just try talking to her, Nick'. What could be so fucking awful that you can't tell me, but you can go blab to the rest of the world about it?"

"You're being really hurtful right now," I say softly because I don't know what else to say. He is hurting me. Why is he being so mean to me?

"You've been being hurtful the past month, Miley," he says, "So can you just stop acting like you're the fucking victim?"

"I hate you," I spit out viciously. My sad tears are now replaced with angry ones. It's not fair the way he's attacking me, "I lied. I don't want you back. Why would I want to be with someone so selfish?"

"Me? Selfish? Are you kidding me?" Nick says with a false chuckle, "You're the one being selfish."

"No," I argue, feeling like a dam just broke and all my emotions are pouring out, "You're being all poor me, poor me. Did you ever think about how _I _feel? That maybe the reason I keep coming back to you is because I can't fucking stay away because I'm still in love with you?

"Of course not. It's all about Nick, isn't it? You want to know why we broke up? I'll tell you why. 'Cause your little client or whatever you want to call her, Mikayla, told me that people think we're dating just so that I could get a record deal. And you know what that feels like? Of course not. Because you're a guy. You want to know what people are going to say about me?"

He stares at me blankly. His expression would be funny if I was so damn pissed off at him.

"They'll call me a slut, a fame whore. And why? Because I love to make music? Do you even know what it's like to deal with that? I was scared, okay? Scared to death that people would hate me because of you. But then last night you were so... so sweet and charming, and, and _sexy,_" I add with a blush, but I'm just going to honest for once, "And I thought, wow, who cares about all of that? If I could be with this incredible guy, none of the rest matters."

I'm nearly in hysterics now. I don't remember standing up, but I am, still in my bra and panties. I snatch my bathrobe off the hook on the door and pull it on over me.

"Miley, I-" he says sheepishly. Yeah, now he's sorry. Good, I hope he's happy. Now he knows. But now getting back together with him is the farthest thing from my mind.

"Please just leave," I say walking out of the bathroom and picking his shirt up off the floor.

"Miley-"

I cut him off by throwing his shirt at his face. He puts it on and starts buttoning it up. Where the hell are his pants?

"Please, just,-"

I throw his pants at him this time (they were on the other side of the bed) and then pick up his shoes.

"Just go," I say angrily pushing him out of my bedroom. The zipper on his pants and his belt are still undone and the buttons on his shirt aren't matching up right.

"I didn't know-" he tries again, but by this time we're already at the front door. I open it and give him one last shove out, pushing his shoes and socks into his hands. He looks pretty ridiculous right now and I'm hoping for his sake he fixes himself before he goes out in public.

I don't know how he's going to get home, but hopefully he has it figured out because I can't stand him being in the apartment another second. I want to scream and throw things. I feel so angry and I'm not exactly sure why.

"Miley, I'm sorry!" he shouts before I slam the door in his face and quickly turn around and go back to my bedroom.

That's when my headache returns and I collapse on the bed, immediately falling into a restless sleep.

A few hours later I wake up. It's now nearly midnight, but after sleeping all day I'm wide awake. I sit up and the uncontrollable urge to _go_ somewhere overcomes me. I just want to leave. Go drive somewhere, I don't know where.

So I get up and throw on a red plain button down and denim cutoffs. I go to the bathroom and wipe my eyes a little and take my hair out of the bun it's been in since Nick's release party. It flows down my back in soft curls.

Actually, it looks kind of good. I'm surprised. The barest traces of make up are still on my face although most of it had been cried away.

Lastly, I grab my keys, my phone and slide on some shoes and I'm out the door.

I don't know where I want to go. I don't want to go to a club (not that I'm dressed for one anyway), I don't feel hungry at all, and I can't think of anyone I'd want to go see at this hour.

I finally decide to just drive and see if anything catches my eye. I go down streets not really sure where I'm going, but the drive relaxes me especially because there is hardly anyone on the road at this hour.

It must have been almost half an hour before I see a car parked randomly on the side of the street. I instantly realize it's Nick's and before I can wonder why, I realize where I am.

Without thinking, I parked behind his car and got out of mine. I followed the path, hoping that I was going in the right direction. After a few minutes I finally made it on the beach. The beach where we had our first real date.

I honestly don't know how I got here. If you had asked me to find this place on my own, I wouldn't have been able to get there. But I guess my instinct knows something I don't because here I am.

Sure enough, Nick is sitting on the shore, safely away from the water, with his back facing me. I pause for a second, but surprisingly the urge to run doesn't hit me. In fact, my feet are telling me to move closer to him.

So that's just what I do.

The sand muffles the sound of my feet as I walk towards his lone figure. I slowly sit down next to him on the sand and bring my knees up to my chin, looking out onto the waves just like he is.

Out of the corner of my eyes I see him turn and look at me, but neither of us say a word. The silence is awkward, but neither of us know how to break it.

Suddenly, his arm wraps around me and pulls me close to his side. I let him pull me close and let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. I nestled my head on his shoulder and let out a sniffle.

"I'm sorry..." Nick said in a choked voice. Is he... crying? No, he can't be. Not Nick Jonas, "I didn't know you were feeling that way..." he continued. I let out a small, dry, sob.

"But I wish you would have just told me," he adds.

"Me too," I say with another sniffle, rubbing my nose pathetically.

Something wet hits my forehead and I look up expecting to see storm clouds, but no, the sky is clear and even some stars are visible. I look at Nick questioningly and I notice the glisten of tears on his face. My eyes well up at the sight of it.

"Why are you crying?" I ask bringing my hands to his face and wiping his tears with my thumbs.

"Because I love you... but I lost you," he says honestly, a fresh round of tears wetting his face. My tears fall from my eyes too and roll down my cheeks before hitting the sand.

"I thought I told you you'll never lose me," I whisper, bringing our faces closer together. One of my hands move from his cheek to the back of his neck and he slowly brings one of his hands onto my face and the other is still on my shoulder.

Slowly and hesitantly, almost as if we're both afraid, our faces move closer and closer together. We both tilt our heads at opposite angles before our lips finally meet. Maybe it's because this time I'm sober or maybe it's because we both know that this time it's for keeps, but this kiss is so much better than the one from last night.

"I'm sorry," I murmur against his lips.

"I know," he replies, our lips never more than a millimeter apart from each other.

"Can we forget this happened?" I ask him. Our lips connect again.

"Already forgotten."

Nick's hands slide to my waist and he lays back pulling me on top of him in the sand. His tongue presses against my lips and I part them, letting him slide into my mouth. My tummy is a mess of butterflies doing flips as our tongues collide. His hands slide down to my hips and his hands are quickly on the button of my shorts.

"Woah there, buddy," I say raising myself up to rest on my knees, straddling his waist. His hands fall to his sides and he looks like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Not here," I say seductively, before getting off of him and running towards the path to the road. It takes Nick a second to realize what I said, but once he does he's next to me running. He reaches out and grabs my hand and I laugh as he runs ahead of me, dragging me along.

When we make it back to our cars, he looks at me and tilts his head.

"Can we come get your car tomorrow? I don't think I can stand being without you," he asks with a hopeful smile on his face.

I nod and his face lights up as he opens his car door for me. He goes around the drivers side and starts up the car. Once we're on the road, he links our fingers together again, bringing them both to his face and kissing every single one of my knuckles.

I giggle and tell him to pay attention to the road while he's smiling wider than I've seen in forever.

"I love you," he says looking at me and giving me that smile that makes me melt every single time.

"I love you, too," I reply with a smile just as big. I feel invincible, like I could do anything with Nick beside me. How could I have given this feeling up?

We make it back to Nick's penthouse is record time. He was probably speeding, but I justify it because no one was on the road anyway and I wanted to get home just as fast.

The second we're in the elevator I'm in his arms, legs around his waist, making out like a starving person.

We finally stumble out into his foyer and he backs me up against the wall for a second, pressing himself against me before getting a better grip. He stumbles over a few things before we both crash onto the couch, me on top of him.

Our lips detach in the process and his quickly attacks my neck, his lips go lower and lower and his fingers start unbuttoning my shirt. I'm already gasping for air, trying to get oxygen back in my brain so I can think logically.

"Bedroom," I manage to get out breathlessly.

"Can't wait," Nick says into my skin, undoing another button. Most of my bra is on display now and his lips are coming dangerously close to my breasts.

"Joe..." I try again.

"Went home with my parents this morning," he finishes for me. I smile. We have the house to ourselves.

"Well, in that case..." I say pulling away from him and shrugging my shirt off my shoulders. His eyes stare at my body and I run my hands under his T-shirt before pulling it over his head.

His fingers quickly unclasp my bra and soon our bare torsos are pressing against each other, not to mention other parts of our bodies. I can't get his belt off fast enough as we both kick our shoes to the floor. Finally his pants come off and he flips me over, so I can shimmy out of my shorts.

"I missed this," he says softly with a chuckle._ Me too_ I think to myself, but right now, we don't need words, we need actions. Nick reconnects our lips and the rest is history.

A very few minutes later (what can I say... it's been a while for both of us, it didn't take that long) we're both laying on the couch. Nick's laying flat on his back, while I'm on my side, half on top of him.

His eyes are partially closed, but I can tell he's not asleep. I gently place kisses all over his neck and he makes a soft noise of pleasure that makes me smile.

"Want to know my favorite part of having sex with you?" he asks suddenly. I raise an eyebrow and open my mouth, "Rhetorical question," he interrupts me before I can make a dirty joke. His eyes are closed and he already knew what I was going to do.

"My favorite part is that I can show you how much I love you, because sometimes words just can't explain how much I love you, Miley Stewart. And even better, I can just... _feel_ that you love me too. I hope you feel it too."

A happy tear runs down my cheek and I smile. How did I wind up with this amazing boy? He is seriously out of this world. I must have done something really good in a past life or something.

"I do," I tell him because it's the only thing I can get out without bursting into tears. I press my head against his chest and listen to his heart beat. Soon the steady rhythm soothes me into a perfect slumber.

I suddenly become slightly conscious because it feels like the earth is moving. My eyes flutter open slowly and I realize that I'm in Nick's arms and he's carrying me.

Well, that solves the mystery of why the world was moving.

"Nick," I murmur sleepily. I don't want to wake up yet. I feel like I've barely been asleep.

"Shh, Mi," he whispers soothingly, "Go back to sleep. I'm just bringing you to bed."

I nod slowly and close my eyes again, snuggling against his warm bare chest. I'm vaguely aware of the sound of the sheets being pulled down and then my body gently hits his soft inviting mattress. The covers come up around me again, but I don't feel warm. I'm struggling to figure out why I don't feel comfortable when Nick's bare arms wrap around me and pull my back close against his chest. Oh. That's why. I smile though my sleepy haze because I know I've found the place I belong. _Here in Nick's arms._

**This chapter is dedicated to lovexmiley on twitter. I took your suggestion xD haha.**


	19. Chapter 19

I wake up sometime around noon, exhausted after last night and see Nick right there next to me. A smile over comes my face while I watch him sleep, his eyes moving beneath the eyelids.

I prop myself up on one elbow so I can turn and face him. It might sound creepy, but watching him sleep is really beautiful. His face looks so peaceful and he looks so calm and unworried. It's not all the time that I get to see him like this.

A small groan escaped through his lips and I stifle a giggle.

"Oh, Mi..." he moans distinctly in his sleep. Did he just say my name? I'm trying desperately not to laugh. Don't get me wrong, it's flattering and cute and everything, but come on. He's moaning my name in his sleep. He's a guy. What do you think he's dreaming about?

"Mi... don't stop..." he moans again. I press my hand over my mouth to keep myself from laughing. A quick peek under the covers lets me know that he is definitely dreaming about what I think he's dreaming about.

I flip one leg over him so that I'm straddling him near his ribs, both of us still as naked as we were last night.

I bring my lips close to his ear, "Nick..." I moaned, trying not to laugh.

"I love you, Mi..." he says in his sleep and I smile. He loves me. Nick Jonas loves me.

Suddenly his hands grab my waist and he flips me over so he's on top of me unexpectedly. I let out a small yelp of surprise at the unexpected movement.

His eyes flew open.

"What the-?" he says confused, looking down at me, "How did we...? What?"

I can't stop the laughter this time as he looks down at me confused. It just bubbles out of my mouth and into the air. I feel so happy and carefree and giddy, I can't stop.

"Miley..." he tries, but I can't stop laughing. I definitely have a case of the giggles. I couldn't even tell him why I was laughing if I tried.

"Miley!" he's laughing too now even though I know he doesn't know what's funny, "Come on tell me!"

"What" laugh, "were you" laugh, "dreaming about" laugh, "Nick?" I manage to get out. His forehead wrinkles in confusion.

"Let me remind you..." I tell him and flip us back over, "Ooooh, Mi, don't stop, mmm I love you," I moaned out exaggeratedly, mocking him. Nick's face blushes red and I can't help, but laugh again.

He brings his hands to his face, hiding his red cheeks and I try to pull them away so I can see his beautiful features.

"I'm sorry," I say, as the giggles subside, "It was really cute."

"Really?" he asks in a muffled voice though his fingers.

"Yes, and you know what?"

"No, what?" he asks, removing his hands from his face.

"Sometimes dreams become reality..." I whisper into his ear, kissing the soft skin just below it. Nick doesn't hesitate to flip me over and start kissing me hard and fast.

I slide my hand in between both of us and start stroking him gently. He moans into my mouth and I smile at the vibrations.

"Don't," he said in between kisses, "I won't last..."

"That's okay," I whispered to him before flipping us over again, "Can I do something for you?"

"S-sure," he said shakily and I began to press my lips down his jaw, to his neck, then down his chest. It didn't take him long to realize where this was going.

"Mi," he says and I look up at him, "You don't have to do that..." he said softly.

"I want to," I tell him and I can see the desire in his eyes, he wants this badly, but he loves me enough to not make me go through with it. I kiss him lower and lower until I reach his erection, I take a deep breath and start pressing kisses over that too.

I've never done something like this before, but it's Nick and I feel comfortable with him and I know that guys really like it and I just want to do something special for him. After all, I'm the reason we've spent the past month or so apart, so I have a lot of making up to do.

Nick lets out a shaky breath and I inwardly smile, loving that I'm doing that to him.

"Mi..." he moaned as I started taking him into my mouth, I try to put my own thoughts aside and just concentrate on him. This is all for him. I don't really know what I'm doing, but he seems to be enjoying it and that's what counts, right? I try not to think about what's going to happen next, but then suddenly, he's pushing me off of him and he releases onto his stomach.

"Oh my, God, Mi," he says breathing heavily and grabbing a tissue from the bedside table to clean up, "I can't believe you just did that."

"Me neither," I laugh nervously, "Did you like it?"

"Yeah," he breathes out, "Was that your first time... you know?"

"Mmmhmm," I tell him, tracing patterns onto his chest.

"Wow," he's still in shock, "You're, um, really good at that."

"Uh... Thanks," I say awkwardly. Both of us just sat there for a moment thinking about what just happened.

"I love you," I tell him, looking up at him and smiling.

"I love _you,_" he says before flipping me over so he's on top of me, "Your turn," he whispers hotly in my ear, sending shivers down my spine.

He gently places open mouthed kisses down my neck, stopping when he gets to my sweet spot, making me moan softly. His left hand starts drawing circles on my inner thigh and I don't think I've ever wanted him as much as I do now.

"Nick," I beg, spreading my legs a little wider, I feel him smile against my skin and his fingers dive into me, "Nick!" I cry again and grab his face with both of my hands, bringing it to mine and shoving my tongue into his mouth. His right hand covers my breast and I gasp into his mouth at the contact while his fingers continue to work magic down there. I arch my back, begging for more while he hurries up his motions. I feel him growing hard again, pressing against my leg and I reach my hand down, grabbing him and leading him to my center.

"Please... now," I beg and he understands what I want. His fingers pull out and rests his hands on either side of me on the bed. I bring my knees up and wrap my legs around him before he drives himself all the way into me.

"Nick!" I scream as our hips collide over and over again, we just started, but I'm already on the edge, clutching at his shoulders and back, desperate not to lose it just yet. This is so good, too good, it's hard to believe that this feeling is real. Every time I think I'm at my peak, Nick presses into me again proving me wrong.

"Mi..." he groans out, "I love you so much, baby."

His hands move to my hips, holding them in his hands, changing the angle he's going into me slightly and black spots invade my vision, nothing, nothing, nothing could ever feel this amazing.

Nick and I have great sex, but we've never had anything like this. By his moans and the way his hands grip me I can tell that this is different for both of us, it's like we're on another level or something.

It feels like our souls have left our bodies and are intertwining together in an elaborate pattern of love, pleasure, and passion. I'm desperate to stay this way forever, but all good things have to come to an end.

A few more thrusts and both of us come to the earth shattering end. My legs are shaking, still wrapped around him and his head drops to my shoulder, his heavy breaths in my ear. I bury my fingers in his hair as my chest rises and falls rapidly.

"Oh, my God," he says when we've both regained our breath, "That was amazing."

I untangle our legs and he rolls off of me so that we're laying side by side in his bed.

"Yeah..." I agree, "I love you."

Nick smiles, "I love you more."

"Nope," I smile, rolling my eyes.

He opens his mouth to reply and then closes it, "I'm too exhausted to even play fight," he admits with a chuckle. I laugh too and turn on my side to face him.

"Take a nap, baby, I'll be here when you wake up."

His eyes are already half closed, why do guys get so tired after sex? I mean, we were both working pretty hard there.

"Okay..." he says in a sleepy voice and I start to hum one of my new songs softly, lulling him into a peaceful sleep, "But don't go anywhere..."

"I won't," I promise, "I'm not going anywhere."

So, I know I said watching Nick sleep is amazing, but seriously, it gets boring anywhere over five minutes. So instead of just waiting in his room with him, I slide on his discarded T-shirt and my boy shorts and go explore his house.

Nick is neat as a pin and you can tell that Joe has been living here too because it's not as perfectly clean as it is when just Nick is here. I decide to clean up a little, it's a little past 1 now and I'm in no rush to go anywhere.

I start in Joe's room, stripping the sheets, then go into Nick's to find his laundry (of course) all in his hamper. I take both of them down the hall into the small laundry room and start a load.

Next, I head into the living room, collecting any trash or dishes and bringing them into the kitchen. I don't want to wake Nick up my vacuuming so I decide that is all that can be done in that room.

The kitchen is another story. The sink is piled high with dishes, Nick has been busy promoting his album and clearly Joe is not the domestic type. But that's okay because Nick has me. I load up the dishwasher with as many things and I can fit into it and turn it on. There's still a few dishes in the sink so I start washing them slowly.

While I wash the dishes I start singing to myself just to fill the silence.

_Whoa oh, you got my head in the clouds  
Whoa oh, you got me thinking out loud..._

"I love that song," Nick says from behind me making me jump in surprise.

"Oh, my gosh, you scared me," I tell him, clutching my heart and laughing at myself.

He comes behind me at the sink and wraps his arms around me making me feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

"Whatcha doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" I say, putting another dish onto the dish rack.

"You didn't have to do this, you know," Nick tells me, pushing my hair of the back of my neck and kissing it gently.

"I know, but I wanted to," I put the last dish away and wipe my hands before turning around and connecting our lips in a short, but loving kiss.

"Did you have a nice nap?" I grabbed his hand and lead him into the living room and down onto the couch.

"Yes, thank you," he says interlacing our fingers. I rest my head on his shoulder.

"Let me take you out to dinner tonight," Nick says randomly. The way he says it, it's like he thinks I'm going to say no. He's silly.

"Okay," I lean up and kiss him again for emphasis.

"I should go home..." I say getting up off the couch and heading for the bedroom to get my clothes.

"What?" Nick follows me into his room, "No! Stay here!"

I laugh at the look on his face, he looks sad, like a lost puppy.

"I gotta go home, babe. I have to go get my car with Lilly and then I gotta get ready for our date," I wink at him.

He pouts because he knows I'm right. After all, I haven't showered in a while and after our past two, um, "moments" I definitely need it... also its like our "first" date (since we got back together) so I want to look nice.

"Can I drive you to your car?" he finally says. I roll my eyes, but we both know that I'm happy to spend more time with him. We both get dressed and drive back to the beach where we had our _real_ first date.

I'm leaning against my car door with Nick pressed up against me kissing me softly. Good thing we're on a back road or I'm sure a lot of people would be taking pictures that would be worth a lot of money. Rockstar kissing Newbie? I can see the headlines now... Not that it matters to me anymore. As long as Nick's by my side I can do anything.

I pull away from the kiss, "I have to go, Nick..."

"One more," he insists and kisses me again. I pull away before it can get any deeper than a peck.

I shove him off of me playfully and he reaches over to open my car door for me. I get in and start the car, rolling the window down before he closes the door again.

"I'll pick you up at seven, okay?" he says leaning through the window for one last goodbye kiss.

"It's a date," I say with a wink.


	20. Chapter 20

I glance at the clock on my bedside table and I see that I have about ten minutes left until Nick comes to pick me up for our date. One more check in the mirror tells me that I'm ready to go.

The strapless black dress that ends a few inches above the knee is the perfect combination of dressy and casual and considering I don't know where he's taking me, I should be safe no matter where we go.

My make up is simple around the eyes with dramatic red lipstick that matches my red leather heels and tiny red clutch. My hair is curly and hanging down my back, just the way Nick likes it. Perfect.

I walk down the hall to the kitchen, I shouldn't have started getting ready so early, but I was really excited.

And kind of nervous.

Which is ridiculous because it's not like we haven't been on tons of dates before, but it has been a while and I just have a really good feeling deep down which makes me nervous.

After a seemingly excruciating amount of time, the doorbell rings and I buzz Nick up to the apartment. One last look in the mirror shows that no hairs are out of place and my lipstick (which is, of course, kiss-proof) is perfect.

Nick knocks on the door and I slowly count to ten before going to it. No need to seem too eager. Oh God, who am I kidding? I'm practically running to the door once those 10 seconds are over.

"Hey," I casually say with a huge smile.

"Hello, Beautiful," he replies, giving me a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. My tummy turns with happiness. "These are for you."

He hands me a beautiful bouquet of red roses. I smell them and smile.

"Mm, they smell beautiful, thank you," I gesture for him to come in, "let me go put them in water."

I stole a glace at Nick from the safety of the kitchen. He's in black dress pants, a black button down shirt, with a red tie for some color. Trust us to match. I shook my head to myself with a smile.

I got out the vase that hadn't been used since the last time Nick brought me flowers. I fill it with water and arrange the flowers before putting them in the center of the counter. Then I walk out again.

"We _would_ match," he smiles, opening his arms for another hug, this time he pecks me lightly on the lips.

"I was just thinking that," I tell him with a chuckle. He intertwines our fingers.

"You ready to go?"

"Yeah."

The silence in the elevator is awkward as we stand side by side. It seriously feels like a first date. I mean, we were having sex this morning, why is this so awkward? Shouldn't we be more comfortable around each other? As if reading my mind, Nick speaks up.

"What are we like this?" he asks, dropping my hand to face me, laying his hands gently on my waist.

"I don't know," I laugh, putting my arms around his neck and letting myself melt into him. That's better. Much better. We get to the ground floor and we head for Nick's car.

"Where are we going?" I ask him as he puts the car into drive.

"It's a surprise," a smile dances on his lips.

"Ugh, I hate when you do that," I say pouting and crossing my arms.

"What, are you like five?" he asks laughing and looking at my posture.

"Uh, no... that would make you a huge pedophile."

"Gee, thanks," he says sarcastically, rolling his eyes at me. I uncross my arms and sit up in the seat.

"How much longer?"

"Not long," he says, reading one of the street signs and making a left.

He starts slowing down and all of the sudden I realize where he is.

"No!" I tell him, turning to him with a huge, incredulous smile.

"Yes."

"No way!" I tell him again and he's smiling, happy with my reaction.

We're about to pull up to the newest, most exclusive restaurant in LA at the moment, it is literally impossible to get into. Unless of course, you're Nick Jonas and people are practically begging you to go for the publicity.

"Nick you shouldn't have."

"Kevin told me you were dying to go," he explains, "So don't give me any of that. You deserve it, Miley. Your album is basically done... we just got back together... let's celebrate, okay?"

"Okay," I agree and I can tell he's surprised I didn't put up a fight, but he's also pleased.

We get closer and closer and I can already see the flashing lights from the paparazzi.

"Oh, my God... look at all the paparazzi!" I say worriedly, looking at Nick to judge his reaction. I know he hates being followed and having his picture taken.

"Is that a problem?" he asks me, looking at my face, "Do you want me to go around the back way?"

"Don't you?" I ask confused. Is it possible that he really doesn't care?

"If you want me to, I will," Nick says with a shrug of his shoulders.

"You want people to know that we're dating?" I ask, just to be sure. I can't believe that he really wants to do this. He's probably just doing it to make me happy.

"Why _wouldn't _I want people to know that we're dating?" he says seriously, "You're the most amazing girl ever. Why shouldn't I let everyone know that you're mine?"

I realize at that moment that he is serious. Even though I was scared before of what people would say, seeing Nick like this inspires me. Seriously, who freaking cares? We have each other and that's all we need. All those fan girls can back off because either way they can't have him. And that might sound bad, but it's true.

"Let's do it," I smile at him and grab his hand impulsively. He squeezes it gently.

"You sure?"

"Yeah," I say, almost excitedly. It's always an adrenaline rush going through the paparazzi. We pull up to the restaurant and the valet person opens my door for me and helps me out.

"Oh, my God, it's Nick Jonas!" one of the paparazzi yells and a multitude of flashes start going off in my face. "Who's the girl? Who's the girl?" more people yell, "Isn't that the same girl from his album release? Oh, my God, get the shot! Get the shot!"

For a moment, I'm stunned and blinded. I forgot how relentless they can be and all I can see are white spots. Then, a warm hand clasps around mine, tugging my arm gently.

"C'mon, just a few feet and we're inside," Nick whispers into my ear. I nod and look confidently at the paparazzi, forcing a smile. Nick smiles too, and I think these might be the first set of paparazzi photos in which he's actually smiling.

We're almost at the door and one of the staff opens it for us. But before we go inside, a reporter throws one last question.

"Nick, is that your girlfriend?"

Suddenly, Nick stops and turns to look at me. I can read the question in his eyes and they're sparkling with so much love and devotion, how could I say no to him? I nod slightly.

"Yes," he says to the reporter before dragging me into the restaurant. The second we're inside, the noise from outside fades and is replaced with a live jazz band up on a small stage in the corner of the room. The room is dark with silver candles on every table. The table cloths are creme with navy blue napkins and pretty blue plates.

"Two for Jonas," Nick tells the woman at the podium. If she recognizes Nick's name, she doesn't show it. Soon a waiter in black pants, white shirt, and tuxedo vest comes and takes us to our table.

We're in a cozy booth in the back, far away from most of the other guests, but still close enough to enjoy the live music.

"Your server will be here right away, Mr. Jonas," the waiter says before handing us our menus which are so thick and heavy I need two hands to hold it.

"I can't believe you did that," I tell Nick with a smile on my face.

"Me neither," he admits, "I've never done anything like that... But I wanted to so badly. I want everyone to know that you're mine," he reached across the table to grab my hand. We smiled at each other, before continuing to look at the menu. Everything looks so good. My brow furrows as I read the prices though. I know I said I wanted to go here, but I didn't think it would actually happen.

"Get whatever you want," Nick says as if reading my mind, "Don't read the prices. This is my gift to you."

I look up and smile at him before resuming my concentration on the menu. I glance up again for a second and see Nick looking at me over his menu. I blush and quickly look down. A few seconds later I look up and see him looking at me again.

"What?" I ask, laying down my menu in front of me.

"I can't do this anymore," he says seriously.

"What?" I ask incredulously. What in the world is he talking about?

He gets up from the table... what is he doing? Is he going to leave me? What the hell?

But then he moves to my side of the table and slides in next to me, wrapping an arm around me and pulling me close to him.

"Much better," he smiles and I let out a small sigh of relief. I really had no idea what he was doing for a second there, "I didn't like being all the way across the table from you."

I nestle my head onto his shoulder while his hand rubs up and down my bare arm.

"You're perfect," I tell him looking up and him and smiling. His lips cover my own suddenly and both of us are smiling into the kiss. Just as it's about to get deeper, a polite cough interrupts us.

"Sorry," our male waiter says apologetically, "May I start you off with something to drink?"

Nick blushes softly and I giggle.

"Can we get a bottle of your finest champagne?" Nick asks, looking at me for confirmation. Geez, could this boy get any more amazing? I nod my head and Nick looks to the waiter.

"Of course, Mr. Jonas," he says before giving a small bow and walking away.

"What do you want?" Nick places a small kiss on my temple.

"Mmm... this pasta dish looks good," I point to it on the menu and he reads it.

"Yeah, it does."

"How about you?"

"What do you think?" he asks with a smirk.

"New York strip?" I guess with a roll of my eyes.

"You're so smart."

"No," I shake my head, "I just know you."

The waiter comes back with the champagne and two glasses, pouring us each a generous amount.

"To us," Nick says holding up his glass for a toast. I clink mine against him and giggle, taking a gulp of the bubbly golden liquid. Ah, nothing like the good stuff. It's delicious.

The waiter comes back and takes our dinner order and once he's gone, I snuggle up to Nick again, his hand has come to rest on my waist and my hand is on his knee, our legs touching.

"This is perfect," Nick says, and I murmur in contentment. Some people in the restaurant are giving us dirty looks, but we don't care all that matters is the two of us.

I start tracing patterns on Nick's knee before realizing what I'm doing. I'm drawing ring shapes and diamonds all over his leg. I look up at him, but he doesn't seem to notice. Even though he doesn't, I have and now things just feel awkward.

Are we supposed to talk about it? Or am I supposed to pretend it never happened and just wait around? Maybe he doesn't even want to marry me anymore. But we just got back together, so _of course_ that's not on his mind yet.

I straighten and Nick looks at me confused as to why I've pulled away from him. I don't want this to be the elephant in the room between us. I want us to be open and honest even about rough subjects.

"I know..." I blurt out suddenly.

"What?" he asks as if he must have heard wrong.

"I know about the ring," I sigh.

Now Nick sits up straighter too, "What? Who told you? Kevin? My mom?"

"It doesn't matter, Nick. The important thing is that I know."

"Listen," Nick connects our hands, "Right now we're just starting out again so obviously getting engaged would be seriously rushing it. I know we're both acting like the past month or so didn't happen, but it did."

I nod in agreement and Nick squeezes my hand.

"But, yeah, I can still see us together in the future. I can still picture myself with you for forever. When the time's right, I'll bring out the ring and you will be mine forever and always."

Shivers run down my spine at Nick's last possessive statement. He wants me to be _his._

"But for now, let's just enjoy our time together okay?" he finishes, looking at me expectantly.

I cuddle back up to him, "Yeah... I like that idea." I agree. We go back to our intertwined state we were in before, the one where it's hard to tell where the two of us separate because we're like one being, living in love, "And for the record, I can see us together forever too."

A hour and way more than half of a bottle of champagne later, Nick and I are getting ready to leave. Somehow, the manager has managed to get the paparazzi away from the restaurant which is good considering I'm a little more than tipsy and probably not looking my best.

Nick has managed to control himself, he stopped drinking once our dinner came so he's well enough to drive. I'm in that state between tipsy and drunk, able to walk, but not in a straight line. Nick's hand is around my waist steadying me as we get into the car.

"Tonight was so fun," I say, still in control of my speech, "Thank you so much, Nick."

"It's not a problem, anything for my favorite girl," he says with a smile. He reaches over to grab my hand as he drives back to my house. All too soon, he's pulling up in front of my apartment.

We quietly walk to the elevator, it's still early, but there's no need to be loud. We get to my apartment door and that awkward first date vibe sets in again. We're both just standing there, and I'm fighting the urge to say 'so...' because that would only make it awkwarder.

"Hey, you wanna stay?" I whisper, sounding more seductive than I mean to. It's just that the room is so quiet it feels weird to talk loud. I clear my throat, "We could, um, watch a movie or something," I say in a slightly louder voice.

The smile he gives me is enough of a reward, but when he nods his head, I feel like I've won the lottery. I clasp his hand and lead him into my room.

"I'm just gonna change, okay?"

I walk into my closet and kick of my heels and slide of my dress. I settle on a pair of nice-ish sweats and a fitted white tank top.

When I walk out, Nick's on the bed, his dress shirt, tie, shoes, and belt off. He looks so cute with his head sinking back into my pillows.

"What movie do you want to watch?" I get up and go to the little cabinet under my TV, "I've got all the girly classics, 10 Things I Hate About You, The Notebook, Steel Magnolias..."

"Let's watch 10 Things," Nick says, surprising me. It's hard to believe that a boy would want to watch that movie. I look at him skeptically. "Well... the sooner you put a movie in, the sooner you'll be back here next to me," Nick smirks.

I roll my eyes at him, but put the movie in regardless and start it. I go back onto my bed and rest my head on Nick's shoulder and his arm wraps around me. I let one of my hands rest lightly on his chest.

I love moments like this where it's just Nick and I cuddling, I always feel safe in his arms and his body is just so comfy which is weird considering how toned he is, but I don't question it.

I look up at Nick to make sure he's comfortable too and I see him looking down at me. He reaches his face down and connects our lips. I smile and kiss him back slowly and softly. After a while his tongue brushes against my lips and I part them slightly. The hand that was rested on his chest is now scratching the back of his neck and he moans slightly into the kiss.

"I thought we were going to watch a movie," I pull away breathlessly.

"We are," he says and we both look at the screen just in time to see it starting. We settled back down on the bed together. If Nick's disappointed, he doesn't show it and I'm grateful for that.

"I love you," I tell him just to make sure he knows that I'm not mad, I'm just not in the mood to, you know...

"I love you too," he pulls me closer to him, if that's even possible and we settle in to watch the movie.

Either I've seen this movie too many times or I'm more tired that I thought, but the next thing I remember is the TV turned off and Nick trying to remove himself from me without waking me up. Obviously that one was a fail.

"Where are you going?" I ask groggily. With the TV off, it's significantly darker in my room and its hard to make out distinct shapes.

"Shh... Go back to sleep, Mi. I'm going home now..."

"No, stay," I argue, reaching out in the darkness as if I can pull him back to me. I hear him sigh and then I hear the sound of his pants hitting the ground so that he's left in his boxers and undershirt. Then I feel the covers being pulled out from under me and the placed on top of me again. Finally, I feel Nick's body slide into bed next to me and his loving arms wrap around my waist.

"I love you," he whispers and kisses my forehead. I'm too tired to respond, but I press my face into his chest, taking in his scent and I know that he knows what I'm thinking. That I love him too.


	21. Chapter 21

One week later, it's the day before the day of my album release and I couldn't be any happier. The paparazzi have been going crazy ever since Nick told them we were dating, so we've been trying to stay out of the spotlight for a little bit. Not that either of us mind, we are definitely enjoying staying in, if you get what I mean.

Currently, Nick and I are sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast. I'm sitting on his lap while we share a plate of scrambled eggs. Nick's reading the paper and occasionally kissing the bare skin where his big t shirt has fallen off my shoulder.

I feed Nick some eggs before taking some of my own while he reads the sports section of the newspaper. Aka the most boring part. Yawn. But I'm happy and he's happy so everything's good.

Then, Joe walks into the room in a t-shirt and basketball shorts looking like a mess. Oh yeah, Joe got back from Texas a few days ago and is living with Nick again.

"There's more eggs in the kitchen," I tell him and he mumbles something incoherent before shuffling into the kitchen. He returns a few minutes later with a plate of food.

Nick folds the newspaper and puts it down on the table.

"How'd you sleep, bro?" he asked before giving me a light kiss on the cheek. I giggle at his actions and give him one back.

"You guys are gross," Joe shakes his head, "And I couldn't sleep at all with you two screaming all night 'OHH NICK... OHH MILEY'" he mimicked in a high pitch voice.

I'm in too good of a mood to let Joe bother me so I laugh at him while Nick blushes.

"Well, you know the solution for that right?" Nick asks with a smirk on his face.

"Miley goes home for once?" Joe says, but its okay because I can tell that he's joking. In fact, ignoring our little makeout session, we've sort of become friends. He's like the older brother type that's always teasing you, but who would still punch out the guy who broke your heart.

"No..." Nick raises an eyebrow, "You find your own place."

"Whatever... I'm going out tonight, so I won't have to deal with you two lovebirds anyway." Joe smirked.

"Going out?" Nick asks warily. I know what he's thinking, that Joe's going out to a club or something, not the ideal place for someone like him to go.

"With a _friend, _Nicky," Joe rolls his eyes at Nick's concern. I notice the obvious power struggle between them. Joe is the older brother and yet Nick is the one who is looking after him. It must be a bruise on Joe's pride. I feel bad that they're both in this situation because I know Nick hates being the bad guy.

"What friend?"

My eyes dart between the two brothers. Joe mumbles something and Nick asks him to repeat it.

"Demi..." Joe says just a little louder, but we can both hear him.

"Demi Torres?" I ask, my jaw dropping. She is one of the very few modern female artists who I respect. Let's just say she manages to write her own music AND keep her clothes on. But she's not an annoying goody-goody either. She seems like she's just her own person. She came onto the scene around the time that I was leaving so I never got a real chance to meet her except for exchanging pleasantries at some award shows.

"Demi?" Nick says just as surprised, "I didn't know you guys still talked."

"Wait, you guys know Demi?"

"We don't talk... well, not until recently... we're meeting up for dinner tonight."

"Dinner? Like a date?" I can't help it. It's exciting. I know I should be used to famous people, but I mean come on... Joe Jonas and Demi Torres on a date? Anyone would be excited.

"Dude, do you _like _her?" Nick looks shocked and they're both ignoring me.

"No, I don't _like _her," Joe says, but then immediately looks down with a small smile on his face. He totally likes her!

"HELLO?" I say loudly and both boys turn to look at me, surprised, "Thank you," I've got their attention now, "You guys know Demi?"

Joe gives me a look like I'm crazy so I turn to face Nick who has a little smile on his face too.

"Um, do you live under a rock?" Joe says, sounding like a girl, "She was like our _best friend_ back in the day."

"You mean, she was _your_ best friend," Nick rolled his eyes. There's definitely something they're not telling me, but I'll let it go... for now.

"Well, feel free to invite her to my album release," I tell Joe with a smile. After all, it would be awesome to have her there. Nick looks at me curiously and I shrug at him. Why not invite her? She seems like a cool person.

"Will do. Thanks for the breakfast, catch you later," Joe gave a small salute and got up taking his plate to the kitchen and then heading to his room.

"Sooo... Joe's going out, what should we do?" I turn to face Nick and place one hand on his neck and another on his chest.

"Mmm," Nick moves his head closer to me, "Stay in?" His hands move to my thighs as our lips collide.

"I'm still here!" Joe yells from down the hallway. Nick and I broke apart.

"Sorry!" I yell back and Nick and I burst into laughter.

Approximately 32 hours later, I'm in my closet getting ready for the album release. Nick is in my room waiting for me to finish getting ready. My hair and make up has already been professionally done, so all that's left is my outfit.

I insisted that my party be very casual and fun. I want to enjoy myself, not feel all uncomfortable and dressed up. It's being held as a private event at a club downtown. The record company has been so great planning it out and a perfect combination of my friends/family and celebrities are invited. It promises to be a good night.

Nick's first single, our duet, shot to the top of the charts in a second as anything with his name on it does. My voice on it is probably the only publicity my album even needs. Crititics have been praising the "new talent" on the song and anticipation is high for my own album. Not to mention I'm also dating Nick.

But it's not like that matters anyway. I know people are expecting all my songs to be written by Nick, but I'm proud to say that this album is basically untouched by him except on a personal level. I hope that people will realize that I am my own person without him, that's probably the most important thing for me right now.

"How do I look?" I say nervously, coming out from the closet. I did a little spin to show off my outfit. As mentioned, this is totally casual, so I'm wearing dark skinny jeans and a ivory colored tank top with little flower-like details on the v-neck. My hair is curled and in a low side pony tail.

Nick smiles at me, "You look perfect."

"It's not too much skin, right?" I fuss, turning around to look in the mirror. The shirt is a racerback so a lot of my shoulder blades are on display. My cleavage is a little more pronounced than usual, but I think it's still appropriate. After all, my family and my bosses will be there too.

"It's perfect, Mi," Nick assures me again. After a final look, I nod.

"Now shoes."

"Oh no... shoes..." Nick groans in mock anguish. I turn around to glare at him on the way to my closet.

"Just to let you know, I already have a pair picked out," I hold up the black peep toe pumps with a tiny bow on them. I slide them on and then put on the jewelry I have picked out. Silver dangly earrings and a Silver link bracelet.

Nick clears his throat and I turn to look at him.

"I'm so proud of you, Mi," he says softly, moving closer to me, "This album is amazing and you did it all by yourself. There are always going to be people out there who want to bring you down, but you know and I know that this album is the real you. No Hannah, just Miley. The girl I'm in love with."

"Nick..." I say looking down and blushing. He's being so sweet. This is one of those moments where I just want to hold onto him and never let go.

"I have something for you..." he says smiling and reaching into his pocket. I look at him in surprise as he pulls out a velvet jewelry box. Slowly he opens it, revealing a delicate white gold chain with a music note and a heart on it. The heart has a tiny diamond embedded in it.

"Nick!" I gasp throwing my hands over my mouth. It's beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Simple and yet so meaningful at the same time. Tears are welling up in my eyes as I look at him then back at the necklace.

"Look..." he adds, flipping over the heart. Engraved on the back are the letters NJJ, Nicholas Jerry Jonas, "Because we both love music and you'll always have my heart."

I can't even find the words to say how much it means to me to hear him say that. The tears start rolling down my cheeks and I throw my arms around his neck. He engulfs me in one of those perfect hugs where I feel so safe and loved and cherished. The kind where it's more than just a hug.

After a long time, we both release each other. He reaches over to my face and wipes the tears off from my cheeks and under my eyes.

"Is my make up okay?" I ask with a little chuckle.

"You've never looked better," he answers honestly. He looks at me with a gaze so intense that it makes my knees weak. He is so, so perfect and somehow I managed to get him.

"Can you put it on?" I ask gesturing to the necklace. He takes it out of the box, the delicate chain looking out of place in his big masculine hands, and I turn around so he can clasp it around my neck. Shivers run down my spine as his fingers fumble with the tiny clasp.

"Done," he says, placing a tiny kiss on the back of my neck right below the necklace. I turn around to face him and wrap my arms around his neck.

"I love you," I whisper as his hands slide around my waist.

"I love _you_"

I bring my hands to the collar of his button down shirt, that's casual for Nick. I managed to convince him to not wear a tie and to wear it with jeans, but he's still looking dressed up. I unbutton the first few buttons and he looks at me funny.

"I like it better like this," I tell him with a smile and give him a little kiss on the hollow of his neck, making him shiver just like he did to me a few minutes ago.

"We're gonna be late," Nick says glancing at the designer watch on his wrist.

"It's okay, it's my party I'm allowed to be late," I say with a smirk before grabbing a black blazer because it's a little chilly out.

"Got to make your grand entrance, huh?" Nick teases, leading the way out the door.

"Well, duh!" I strike a ridiculous pose and Nick laughs at me. We're walking side by side to the elevator and he reaches over to grab my waist and pull me closer. He doesn't let go of me until we're on the ground floor and he's opening his car door for me. The paparazzi are going crazy, but tonight all I can do is smile. Nothing is going to bring me down, I promise myself.

The ride to the party is a blur of happy, nervous excitement with a little bit of butterflies in my stomach. I'm practically bouncing up and down in anticipation.

"Calm down," Nick says with a laugh, reaching out to touch my arm gently.

"I can't help it, I'm excited!"

"Well, you better get excited, look at that," he nods out the window to the front of the club. It is packed and I mean packed with paparazzi. I know that it has less to do with me and more to do with three famous brothers and several other artists who are in attendance, but either way it's thrilling.

Nick pulls up on the curb and hands his car off to valet before grabbing my hand and walking through all the paparazzi.

"Miley! Nick!" they scream at us, "Is it true you're getting married? Is Miley pregnant? Are you two going on tour together? Nick, did you help Miley with her album?"

Question after question is shot out at us, but soon I tune them out, giving a smile and slight wave to all of them.

We walk into the club to see the flashing lights and hear music playing. I squeeze Nick's hand in anticipation and he smiles widely at me.

Behind the DJ's turntable my album cover is blown up to take up almost the whole wall. It's weird to see my own face, without a blonde wig, on display like that.

The music turns down as we walk in and people realize I'm there. My face already hurts from smile so hard, but I can't stop.

The president of the record company takes a microphone and beams at me.

"Here at HW records, we're proud to be celebrating the debut album release of the newest member of the family, Miley Stewart,"

A spot light shines on me and Nick steps away for a second to give me my moment. The whole room bursts into applause and I blush softly and wave a little.

"We think she has a lot of potential and we can't wait to see the great things she accomplishes, so, Miley, here's to you."

He raises his glass and everyone follows suit. There's another round of applause and the president tells everyone to enjoy the night and the open bar. Nick's hand clasps around mine and I look at him to see him positively beaming at me.

"Come here," he says tugging me into the VIP section of the club. The room is mostly full of older business type people who I can't really see getting down on the dance floor. There's another smaller bar in here and some people are mingling there.

"Miley!" a familiar voice calls, but before I can respond I'm engulfed in a motherly hug.

"Denise?" I say in surprise. Nick told me that his family, besides Joe and Kevin, of course, couldn't make it.

"We wanted to surprise you dear," she tells me, "This is an exciting night!"

"I know, I can't believe it," I can't help but gush. I'm excited. I haven't had this rush in so long. The excited/nervous feeling of sharing something personal with the world.

I greet Mr. Jonas and Frankie, who once again is along for the ride. We start making small chat for a few minutes before I hear my favorite voice in the world.

"Hey there, Bud," the voice says with an unmistakable southern twang.

"Dad!" I cry turning around and engulfing him in a huge hug, the kind that only a father and daughter can share.

"I'm so proud of you, babygirl," he whispers into my ear and my eyes well up with tears. This is coming from the man who gave me the passion and drive to create music and share it with the world. It means more to me than anyone will ever know.

"Thanks so much, daddy," I say and give him one last squeeze before pulling away. I wipe my eyes casually then turn back to Nick and his parents, Frankie has already run off.

"Dad, this are Nick's parents, Denise and Paul," I say gesturing to each of them, "This is my dad, Robby Stewart."

"Nice to meet y'all," my dad says and shakes both their hands. Last he reaches out to Nick and gives him a firm handshake, "How are you, Nick? Been taking care of my little girl?"

"Good, sir," Nick says in that adorably polite voice, "And I'm pretty sure Miley is more than capable of taking care of herself, but I keep an eye on her," he smirks. My dad chuckles at that. It's cute how well they get along.

We chat for a few minutes before Nick and I excuse ourselves from our parents to go see other people.

Next, Lilly runs up to me and throws her arms around me.

"Hey there, stranger," she jokes, "Planning on coming home anytime soon?"

"I'm sorry," I say honestly. I do feel bad, I've barely been home at all since Nick and I got back together, "We need to spend time together again!"

"Don't worry, I got a boy to keep me busy," she says with a wink, "If you know what I mean."

"Oh, my God! Who?"

"This guy in a band... they're kind of unknown right now, but trying to break into the mainstream scene. We have to have lunch or something soon to catch up!"

"Definitely!" I agree and give her another hug. She's been my best friend forever, she was there for Hannah, for Jake, for everything in my life and it means so much that she's still here now.

"So do you think Miley will be as big as Hannah?" Lilly asks raising her eyebrow and smirking at me.

"I think she'll be even bigger," Nick interjects, wrapping his arms around me from behind. I smile and blush at his compliment.

"Aw! You two are so cute! No wonder I haven't seen Miley, I'll see you later, okay?" Lilly says and I nod and we hug one last time before Nick and I move on.

I'm scanning the VIP room for the next person to say hello to when an arm gets casually thrown over my shoulders.

"Ah! It's the girl of the hour!" Kevin cries in excitement. After all, this album is just as much his debut as mine.

"Kevin!" I squeal and throw my arms around him and we embrace in a brother-sister way, "Can you believe it? Our album is out in less than five hours!"

"Our album," Kevin says in a puzzled voice, "You mean, _your_ album?"

"Whatever," I roll my eyes, "You know I would have gone crazy without you." We both exchange a knowing glance. It's true without Kevin's guidance and patience and advice, I don't think I could have been able to do it.

"Hey, you want a drink?" Nick asks suddenly and I nod.

"That'd be great, thanks."

"Champagne?" he asks with a smirk. He knows me too well. But its my album release, I should be able to get what I like.

"Yes, please," I say and give him a quick kiss on the cheek as he heads off to the bar.

"You guys are too cute," Danielle gushes. I didn't even notice she was standing there. She's kind of that person who manages to stay low-key, but once you see her and get to know her she's an awesome person.

"Hey!" I reach over and give her a hug and a kiss, "How have you been?"

"Good, good. Are you excited about tonight?"

"Um..." I say pretending to think, "YES!"

"Yo, yo, yo, what up people!" Joe exclaims, coming up and throwing his arms around me and Danielle. We both turn and look at him like he's crazy.

"Hey, Joe," Danielle says, rolling her eyes and shrugging out of his grasp. Kevin is chuckling softly and shaking his head. Joe is so ridiculous sometimes.

"Hello, superstar!" he turns to me. I don't understand how he can be so enthusiastic all the time. It must be pretty tiring.

"Not a superstar yet," I correct him although it's not technically true. I was a superstar, at one point.

"Details, details," he says, "Soo... there's someone I want you to meet..."

"Oh yeah, who?" I say distractedly, looking for Nick in the crowd of people. It sounds lame, but I really do miss him already. I want to share this night with him.

"Me!" a voice says and Joe steps out of the way, letting go of me. Standing in front of me is Demi Torres. I'm so excited, but not in like a fan meeting a celebrity way. Like in a person meeting someone who they think would make a great friend.

"Oh, my gosh, hi!" I say surprised. I know I told Joe to invite her, but I didn't think she would actually come, "I'm Miley," I hold out my hand to her.

"I know," she says with a smile, "I'm Demi," she grabs my hand and then unexpectedly pulls me into a friendly hug, "Joe let me listen to a preview of your songs, you're like so talented."

"I'm talented? YOU'RE talented," I tell her and we both burst into giggles. I can tell we're going to be friends.

"I knew you two would get along," Joe says smiling proudly at us.

"Sorry, babe, the line was long," Nick comes up next to me and gives me a quick kiss on the cheek before handing me my glass of champagne.

"It's fine," I say with a smile, "Look who's here!"

Nick's eyes travel towards Demi and she breaks out into a smile.

"Nick!" Demi cries and throws her arms around him quickly. He doesn't even react he's so surprised. She lets go of him and he still kind of looks like he's a shock.

"Hi." he says simply. I turn and look at him and nudge him slightly. He clears his throat, "I mean, hi Demi, how are you? It's been so long," he says in a better tone.

"I'm good, which you would know if you ever called me, doofus. It's been like, what? 5 freaking years!" she says and ruffles his hair. I laugh at both of them, they're just like Joe and I. Except I kind of hope they haven't made out before.

Kevin and Danielle excuse themselves from the group, probably to go cuddle in a corner somewhere. They've been married, like 5 years, but they seriously still act like newly weds. I hope Nick and I will be like that one day. If things keep going as good as they're going I can definitely see that happening for us.

Nick wraps an arm around my waist and I take a sip of my champagne. It's delicious, I can only imagine how much it cost, but the record company is paying so who cares?

Joe, Demi and Nick start talking about something and I zone out on their conversation for a second. From the VIP room you can see the people out on the dance floor. Lilly is dancing with some of our mutual friends and there are plenty of stars on the dance floor too. A song I like comes on and I sway my hips a little and nod my head to the beat.

I suddenly realize that Demi is staring at me and looking at me a little funny. I stop and blush a little... busted.

"Let's dance!" she cries suddenly and grabs my hand, pulling me away from Nick. It's like she read my mind. I laugh as she tugs me along, already dancing as we make our way through the crowd to the center of the dance floor, "Its your party girl! Live it up!" she screams.

I don't bother asking Nick to join us because I know he doesn't like to dance and is likely to say no. Demi grabs my hand and spins around as a fast song comes on. I can tell we are definitely going to be good friends. Everyone has their eyes on the two of us as we dance together.

Then she grabs my hand and pulls me over to the bar. After talking to the bartender, she hands me another flute of champagne and takes one for herself.

"Here's to you," she says clinking our glasses and taking a huge sip which I reciprocate.

"I'm gonna give you some advice," Demi announces, throwing an arm around me, "The best thing you can do in this business is just be yourself. I can already see you've got that down. You and Nick are totally cute and I'm so glad that you guys aren't hiding it. I've seen too many relationships in Hollywood go downhill because of keeping it a secret. Just be honest, you know?"

I nod at her and she smiles before dragging me back out to the dance floor.

Somehow I manage to get Nick to come out and join me and Joe joins Demi. All eyes are on the four of us, the champagne is flowing and I feel like everything about my life is falling into place. My new music career is just taking off, I have great friends, a great family, and I have an amazing boy who I know wants to marry me some day, how could things be any better?


	22. Chapter 22

**Umm... hate to break it to any other writers but I have the best readers/reviews EVER. :)**

"Don't drop me!" I warn as Nick carries me through the door to his bedroom. For some reason he thought it would be funny to scoop me up bridal style as we exited the elevator. We're both in high spirits after my release party and then going to buy the album at midnight with Joe and Demi. It was a pretty ridiculous sight, 3 superstars and 1 new girl, barging into the record store, slightly tipsy and very loud. It was insanely perfect though, I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.

"I won't," Nick says laughing. Demi offered Joe a spot on her couch tonight which he greatly accepted. It's embarrassing but they both clearly knew what Nick and I were going to do when we got home. Although, I'm sure Joe would have been pleased anyway. It's so obvious he likes her.

Nick drops me down onto the bed and quickly covers my body with his.

"You said you wouldn't drop me!" I cry indignantly and slap his shoulder playfully.

"Are you saying you don't like this?" he says in a low, sexy voice that makes my heart race. His hands start creeping up my shirt and his lips are less than an inch from mine.

"No," I breathe out onto his lips.

"Good," he whispers, leaning in to connect our mouths.

I arch my back and raise my hands over my head as Nick's hands ride higher and higher, taking my shirt with them. He reaches around my back to unclasp my bra and then pulls my shirt off and discards it on the floor.

His hands instantly go to my breasts so I help him by sliding off my bra. His knees are on either side of my hips now, pining me to the bed.

He sits up for a second and looks down at my chest which is rising and falling rapidly from our previous kiss.

"Oh, my God," he says with a groan, "You're so hot, Mi. I know it's wrong to say that, but seriously, you look so sexy right now."

I smile at his comments. Not gonna lie, hearing him say that is a total turn on. I know that he thinks I'm beautiful and that he really does love me so its okay to hear him talk like that every once in a while. After all, I don't always have exactly pure thoughts about him. Like how his pants are obviously bulging right now and need to be taken off immediately.

I bring my hands to his knees and slowly crawl my fingers up his thighs to the zipper on his pants. His eyes follow my hands intensely, waiting for me to do something.

He sighs in relief when I release him and I smirk. He is so obviously turned on.

He gets off me suddenly and stands on the floor at the end of the bed. I look at him confused. He smiles and pats the foot of the bed. I sit up and slide down so that my butt is right on the edge.

I reach my hands up to his neck and pull him down to kiss me. As our tongues twist together I unbutton his shirt and push it off his shoulders.

He pulls away from our kiss and kneels down on the ground in front of me. He places his hand behind my knee and then follows down my leg, pulling my foot into his lap. He slowly unbuckles my shoe and slides it off my foot. I giggle unintentionally. What can I say? I'm totally ticklish, especially by my feet.

"Why are you laughing, Cinderella?" Nick asks me with a a smile, picking up my other leg in the same manner.

"Prince Charming puts the shoe _on_ Cinderella, not takes it off," I tell him crossing my arms over my chest. Nick's smile widens and I resist the urge to roll my eyes. He loves when I give him attitude in bed.

He stands up and his pants fall to the floor. He steps out of them and pushes me back onto the bed. We both shimmy up so I'm not hanging off the edge anymore.

"These need to come off," he whispers, reaching down to unbutton and unzip my jeans. I lift my hips up so he can pull them down and then I kick them to the floor. His hands rest on my bare waist and he hovers over me.

"I'm so proud of you, you know that right?" he says keeping his gaze on my eyes as opposed to my body.

"Yeah," I whisper softly. I love when he says things like that. As if it wasn't enough that I just released a record, I have a boyfriend who is amazingly supportive.

"You're so amazing. And I know your album is going to do incredibly. I can't wait to see all the great things are are definitely going to happen for you," he continues, looking at me with so much love and pride that happy tears fill my eyes.

"I love you, baby," I say and wrap my arms around his neck in a tight hug, "I owe it to you. If it weren't for you I probably wouldn't even have thought of singing again."

"Nah, you would've. It's in your blood. And I love you too... more than you'll ever know."

"I think I have an idea," I tell him before crashing our lips together. Soon his tongue presses into my mouth and its hard to focus on anything other than kissing. Keeping our lips locked, we both manage to slide out of our respective underwear.

I wrapped my legs around his waist and try to pull in closer to me. Instead though he locks his hands around my back and pulls us both up into a sitting position with me in his lap facing him.

"Nick!" I say in surprise as he slides me down onto him. The new angle is amazing and I let my knees fall on either side of him so I can use my legs. I look down at him and let our lips connect again. After a while i press onto his shoulders and push him back so that I'm straddling him. We're upside on the bed now, but it's not like it matters.

"Hi," I whisper, looking into his beautiful brown eyes.

"Hello," he chuckles before pulling me back down onto him. I move my hips up and down and Nick throws his head back in pleasure while emitting soft moans. I lean down to kiss his neck, making sure to leave a mark just under his collar where it won't be seen.

"I. love. you." Nick gasps in between breaths. I love making him feel this way. He grabs my waist and flips me over so he's on top of me now.

"I love you," I echo him as he pushes into me over and over, bringing me close to my limit.

"You're perfect," he whispers into my ear just as both of us reach our peak. I love when we both give in at the same time, it's really beautiful and wonderful and there aren't really words to describe it, except amazing.

The exhaustion sets in quickly, but not before Nick can whisper, "I love you," one last time in my ear.

I wake up the next morning to Nick staring at me. It's kind of cute, but I decide to tease him about it anyway.

"Creep," I mutter, sitting up in bed, clutching the sheet to my bare chest. I yawn and scratch my head a bit.

"That's all I get," he pouts, "No 'Good morning, Nick, thanks for the great sex last night'"

I burst out into laughter at the sound of something so ridiculous leaving his mouth.

"Sorry, _Nicky_. Let me try again, Good morning, baby, thank you for the amazing sex last night," I say before leaning down to leave a lingering kiss on his lips.

"Mm," he sighs in contentment, "That's much, much better."

"What time is it?" I ask, laying back down and snuggling into Nick's side. His arm automatically wraps around me and a feeling of love and protection washes over me. I close my eyes. We were up late last night and I just feel like going back to sleep.

"Almost 10," he says lazily and rests his head on top of mine.

"Ugh," I groan. I told Demi I'd meet up with her to hang out at noon, but I really, really don't want to get out of bed.

"You got plans?" Nick asks.

"Yeah... I was supposed to hang out with Demi," I tell him, opening my eyes and shifting my head so I'm looking at his face.

"You're hanging out with Demi?" he says raising an eyebrow. Something about his tone puts me off, what's wrong with me hanging out with Demi?

"Is that a problem?" I ask and sit up, detaching myself from him. I mean, if he has a reason or something that I shouldn't I'd like to know. Like if she's into hard drugs or something, I'm obviously not going to hang out with her. And Nick has known her for longer.

"It's just weird that you guys would hang out," he says slowly. I narrow my eyes at him.

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know..." Nick trails off awkwardly, "She just doesn't seem like the type of person you'd be friends with."

I'm not really in the mood for games or to be told what to do. If he's not going to give me any more detail than that, then I can do what I want.

"Well, I should go," I say shortly. I go to his dresser and pull out the drawer that has my clothes in it. I pull out panties and a bra and put them on before settling on my favorite pair of jeans and a yellow top that I thought I had lost. Apparently it was just at Nick's house.

I hear Nick get off the bed from behind me as I go into the bathroom to brush my teeth. Yes, I have my own toothbrush at his house. I've basically been living there since we got back together.

"Don't be like this, baby," he says from the doorway to the bathroom. I continue to ignore him and I don't look at him at all. But I can picture his posture perfectly. He's probably leaned up against the frame in his boxers, his eyebrows furrowed in worry, with a small upset frown on his face. I keep my eyes on the mirror as I finish brushing and rinse out my mouth.

Finally when it can't be avoided any longer I turn to the door. Nick is standing there just like I pictured, looking slightly panicked and a little upset. I brush by him and he follows me as I pick up my bag and throw some of my stuff into it. Then I pull out my phone and call a taxi service to send me a car.

"Don't leave, Mi," he begs, following me out of his bedroom, "I'm sorry, okay? It's none of my business who you're friends with."

He makes it so easy to forgive him and so hard to be mad at him. It's like he knows exactly how to make me feel better. I turn around right before I get to the elevator out of his penthouse.

Nick wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me close to him, resting his head on top of mine. I drop my bag and wrap my arms around his bare torso.

"I'm sorry," he whispers again into my hair.

"It's okay, I overreacted," I admit, pulling my face away from his slightly. I reach up to kiss him, "I really do have to go home though."

"Fiiiiine," he says in an exaggerated voice so that I know he's kidding, "Come over after?"

"Of course," I say giving him an extra squeeze, "I love waking up in your arms."

"Good," he says, kissing me gently on the head once before giving me a kiss on the lips. This one lasts and little longer and we're both smiling as we pull away.

"Bye," I say as the elevator lands on his floor. He stays there watching me as the elevator closes and I'm smiling to myself the whole way down.

About two hours later, I'm standing in front of the door to Demi's apartment wearing skinny jeans, a pretty white top, and brown boots with my hair in it's natural waves. I reach up and knock lightly on the door.

Demi opens in with a huge smile on her face.

"Hey girl," she exclaims and pulls me into a friendly hug which I return.

My eyes sweep her living room area that is open to the front door. Everything is white from the couches, to the coffee table, to the wall. The only not white part of the room is the light wooden floors (which are partially covered by a white shag rug) and a single painting above the (white) fireplace. The painting is rectangular and covered in random patterns of paint, hand prints, and an outline of what looks like scissors.

Demi notices me looking at something and follows my gaze and smiles.

"Joe and I made that a long time ago," she informs me with another smile on her face. If I didn't know any better I'd say she likes him...

"I like it," I decide out loud. It's cool in a random, totally impulsive way. It's really cool that she has something she made hanging up in her own place as opposed to some fancy artist or something.

"So, I was thinking we could go shopping and then maybe grab dinner?" she asks with a little shrug. She seems like the kind of girl who just goes with the flow, no matter what happens. I like that. Sometimes I plan things a little too much so it's a nice contrast.

"Sounds good," I nod, "I'm always up for shopping."

"Then we'll be great friends," she smirks, "Just let me get my shoes."

She comes back with a purse and black converse on in addition to her jeans and a t-shirt. It's kind of ridiculous how well she pulls off the casual look.

"My car or yours?"

"Um, mine?" I venture, "I'm supposed to go to Nick's after, so I could just drop you off after on the way."

"Oooh, you and Nick, huh?" Demi winks as we both walk out of her apartment and to the elevator. I blush slightly and try to hide my smile.

"So you guys are like really serious..." Demi states, but it sounds more like a question. I figure I can trust her since she's Nick and Joe's friend and she's famous so she understands.

"Yeah," I can't help the huge smile that over takes my face, "We're pretty serious."

"I can tell," she says with a laugh, "I barely even recognized him with that smile he had on his face last night when he was with you. You must be pretty special."

We get to my car and I unlock it so we can both get in.

"I guess. But he's the special one, really."

"That he is," she agrees, "But you've really changed him, Miley. In a positive way."

"That's what everyone keeps telling me..." I joke, pulling out of the gate.

"Let's hit the shops in Beverly Hills, alright?"

I agree and she spends most of the ride grilling me about Nick. I don't mind, I love talking about him and us and how amazing he is. Soon we're parking and getting out of the car.

Paparazzi swarm us, but neither of us mind. I think Demi is kind of surprised by how well I'm handling it, but she doesn't know that I'm used to it because of Hannah.

"Excuse me," I say politely as we walk through them and go into the first shop. I'm not really looking for anything so I browse the racks slowly. Demi goes over to a table and starts trying on hats. Soon she gets to a black beret. She sighs dramatically as she checks herself out in the mirror and I laugh.

"Can't you just see me wearing this at a little cafe in Paris?" she gushes, "Just writing while enjoying a cafe au lait while no one bothers me?"

"Hate to break this to you," I laugh at her fantasy, "But people in Paris know who you are."

"Ugh," she groans, "Well maybe if I sit like this?" she tilts the hat slightly so that it's covering half of her face. We both laugh at how ridiculous she looks. She takes the hat off.

"I'm going to get it," she decides, keeping it in her hand. I shake my head at her antics and we continue our shopping journey.

After dinner our expedition and dinner, we're in my car, blasting old Jonas Brothers CDs (don't ask why I have them) and screaming the lyrics at the top of our lungs. It's absolutely hilarious. Or maybe it's the glass of wine I had with dinner.

"You know what I really miss?" Demi asks, turning the music down a little.

"No, what?" I glance at her for a moment and then focus back on the road.

"_Hannah Montana_. You know, she was the reason I started wanting to be a recording artist. Until then, singing was just an activity for me, not a job. But she just made it seem so glamorous and fun."

It's completely ironic that she's talking about my past.

"Mmm," I agree because what else can I do?, "She really was something..."

"Yeah..." Demi says.

"What is up with all this traffic?" I ask in frustration. I mean, LA is usually bad, but even this seems kind of unusual. Traffic is bumper to bumper and it's barely moving at all.

"Wait... what's today?" Demi asks suddenly. Before I can answer her she smacks her head on her hand, "I totally forgot! It's the opening of that new club! The one that that famous guy is opening!"

"Well, that's specific," I say sarcastically.

"He was in some older movies? Then he directed one? I think he owns a restaurant too? I don't know. But he's opening a club tonight. I totally forgot I was invited. We should go!" she says excitedly.

"I don't know..." I start. I'm definitely not in club clothes and I barely talked to Nick all day except for when he called once while we were shopping.

"Come on!" Demi insists, "Look my apartment is like one block away, the club is like 5 down from my house. We can go and get changed and then go out! Please!"

"Well, I told Nick-"

"Nick can wait!" Demi interrupts, "It's barely even 9. We'll just go for like an hour and you'll be at Nick's by 10:30. Pleaaase?" she begs.

I hesitate for a moment. On one hand, a club opening would be really cool, especially if it's for some famous guy's club and she's right, it's still early, Nick probably won't even be expecting me yet anyway.

"Okay," I agree and make the right turn onto her street and then into her house. I can't help but be a little excited as we get ready.

I'm wearing something I would have never picked out on my own, it's a lot more "Hannah" than Miley. Blue, almost turquoise, leggings and a black dress with a colorful geometric print. Demi is in a similar outfit, but with black liquid leggings and a long red, off the shoulder shirt and a belt.

Demi and I laugh and tease each other as we get ready. It's been entirely too long since I've had a girl's night and honestly it feels really good. I love Nick and all, but there's just something special that girl's share that never happens with guys. I can already tell it's going to be a fun night.

Paparazzi flash pictures of us as we walk the red carpet into the club together. We're both laughing hysterically and flashing peace signs while clutching each other for support. If I wasn't with us the whole night, I would assume that we were drunk or something. Once that experience is over, we get into the club. It's packed with celebrities and celebrity-type people.

"Want a drink?" I call over the music.

She nods, "But nothing alcoholic. I don't drink unless I'm with a guy I trust." I give her a funny look and she shrugs, "I figure they'll protect me. Not that I don't trust you. But if a 200 pound guy is all in my space, you're not going to be that helpful."

I laugh even though it does make some kind of sense. I notice a lot of eyes following us as we make our way to the bar. We both order sodas, but instead two cocktails are placed in front of us.

"These are from the two men over there," the bartender tells us with a wink, pointing down to the end of the bar. Two guys who I think might be on a reality show or something (ie, have no talent) wave at us. Disgust floods by body and I'm about to say something, but Demi is already on it.

"Well you can tell those _boys,_ that we don't want them and they can give them to the next girls they try and scam on," she tells him with an attitude and grabs my arm and pulls us away from the bar.

"Ugh, disgusting," she yells and I agree with her, "Let's just dance," she continues pulling me out to the dance floor.

A few minutes on the dance floor and the two sleazy guys at the bar are forgotten. We stick close to each other so that no one mistakes us for needing a partner. The crowd seems pretty chill though and everyone is having a good time. A few people stop and talk to Demi and she introduces me to them all. I'm surprised when a lot of them have heard of my music and congratulate me on my "first" CD.

The night is so much fun and Demi and I are having a great time. It just goes to show that you don't need alcohol to have a good time. In fact, the two of us are goofy enough as it is without it.

"Hey!" Demi yells suddenly over the music to a cute blond guy, "Will you dance with my friend?" she asks pointing at me.

"Demi!" I exclaim and punch her on the arm playfully. The stranger looks me up and down, but surprisingly I don't feel that uncomfortable. It wasn't a sleazy checkout, but more of a curious one. If that makes sense.

"Sure, why not?" he shrugs.

"Okay," I tell him with a smirk, "But only if you find someone to dance with this one," I point to Demi and she laughs loudly.

"Touche," she whisper-yells into my ear while the blond boy finds one of his friends to dance with Demi. Soon the four of us are dancing. It's less of a partner-dance and more of just four friends hanging out, which is weird since I don't even know their names, but maybe that's the beauty of it. We don't have to know them and it's already easy to have a good time with them. And you know what they say, time flies when you're having fun.

I walk into the penthouse to find it bathed in darkness. Despite what Demi told me, it's almost 12:30 by the time I finally make it to Nick's. In the living room the TV is on softly, playing one of those late night shows that insomniacs love.

On the couch is Nick, snoring softly and looking adorable. He's cuddling into the corner of the couch with one elbow on the armrest, his hand supporting his head.

I smile at him and gently touch his shoulder to wake him up. If he spends the night on the couch he will not be a happy camper tomorrow.

He mumbles softly and presses deeper into the couch.

"You gotta go to bed, sweetie," I coo softly. He looks so cute right now, its a shame he has to get up. He looks like a little kid, but in a good way. I sit down on the couch next to him and shake him gently.

Instead of getting up though, he reaches out and wraps an arm around me and pulls me closer to him. I laugh quietly at him and snuggle against him, wrapping my arms around his waist. He feels so soft and warm, just like hugging my favorite teddy bear when I was younger. I love him so much.

"Time to wake up, baby," I say and kiss him gently on the cheek, following it with a trail of kisses down his jaw.

"Miley?" he asks quietly, without opening his eyes, "You're finally home." He turns and nuzzles his warm face into my neck, tickling me with his breath causing me to giggle. Suddenly though, he sits up and looks at the clock.

"Miley..." he says in a parental tone.

"What?" It's really not that big of a deal that I'm coming in late. I'm a big girl, I can do what I want.

He looks me up and down, "What are you _wearing?"_ he asks. I look down at my outfit. It does look kind of ridiculous now, but it was fun and fitting at the club.

"Oh, Demi lent me this..."

"It's really late, where were you?" he interrupts, "I thought you two were just going shopping and then to dinner."

"Well, we were," I explain, "But then we were in traffic and Demi remembered that there was this club opening she was invited to so we decided to go."

"You should've called," he tells me, standing up.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize you were my dad," I snap at him. I cross my arms defensively. I glare at him and he stares back at me just as intensely.

"Sorry," he sighs after a few minutes. He runs his hand through his hair, "I was just worried. I didn't know what you and _Demi_ were up to."

The way he says Demi's name sets a trigger off in my brain. Something's not right and I don't know what it is. Just something about his tone makes it seem like he was worried because I was with Demi. I open my mouth to say something, but before I can he engulfs me in a hug.

"I'm just glad you're home safely," he says giving me an extra tight squeeze. Home. With Nick. I smile at the idea of that and thoughts of Demi leave my head.

"Let's go to bed, okay?" I tell him, giving him a squeeze back. He nods and takes my hand. I love how he grabs it even just for the short walk to his bedroom. Once in there he sits on his side while I take off my clothes and then pull on one of his t-shirts.

I settle into bed and he lays down behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling my back close to his chest. We let our bodies conform to each other before both of us settle into a deep sleep.

**Oh and thank you to JonasFan101 and ShoppingAndDiamonds for mentioning me! And thank you to the people who brought that to my attention!**


	23. Chapter 23

"Do you have your flight booked for this weekend?" Nick calls from the kitchen table where he has his laptop set up. I'm sitting in the living room watching TV in comfy clothes while he takes care of some business on the computer.

It's just me and Nick because Joe has started apartment-hunting. For the time being though, he decided he's going to crash with Kevin and Danielle, based on the idea that "married people have less sex." HA! If they are as touchy in private as they are in public Joe is definitely wrong.

"I don't need to," I call cheerfully, "Demi is flying into New York too, so she offered me a seat on her private jet."

Next week, on Monday to be exact, I'll be performing on a famous morning show in New York. I still get all tingly and excited thinking about it. I have to fly out there on Sunday because I have a rehearsal and a sound check the day before.

Demi also needs to be in New York for a late night show she's going to be on Monday night and, being THE Demi Lovato, she rented a private jet for the occasion. She did this, of course, forgetting the fact that she's terrified of flying alone. Which works well for me.

"Oh..." Nick shuts his laptop and then comes over to join me on the couch, "I wish I could come with you," he says sadly.

"Me too," I frown slightly thinking about it. My first big performance (as Miley) and Nick can't be there.

"Hey, none of that," he says poking the corner of my lips, "Turn that frown upside down."

I groan at his corny phrase and shake my head, but I smile anyway. He lights up in response and places a chaste kiss on my lips.

"I'm gonna call you right before I go on stage and right after," I warn him, "So you better be up and ready to talk."

Considering the time difference, it will be very, very early in LA when I call him. Approximately 4am.

"I'll be eagerly awaiting your call," he informs me with a smile. It's times like this when know he really does love me. He pulls his arm around me and kisses me on the temple.

"You're the best boyfriend ever," I say wrapping my arms around his torso and giving him a little squeeze.

"I know," he says smugly. I know he's just kidding though. At least he better be.

"But you know what would make you even better?" I ask him and looks at me with a raised eyebrow, "If you went and made me a sundae," I finish, batting my eyelashes in what is hopefully an irresistible look.

"Mileyyy," he whines, "I just sat down, couldn't you have said something when I was in the kitchen?"

"I didn't want it then," I pout, "But then you came in here talking about how you wouldn't be there at my big performance and I got all sad and now I want ice cream."

I'm kidding, of course. But if it convinces Nick to go get me ice cream it's worth it. Just the thought of the cold creamy substance is making my mouth water. But not enough to get me up from the cozy couch.

"Besides, if you do this for me, maybe you'll get lucky tonight," I tease, trailing my index finger down his chest.

He groans and gets up and I mentally pump my fist in triumph. But then he grabs both my hands and pulls me off the couch.

"Hey!" I protest.

"How about we _both_ go make sundaes?" he suggests.

"Do I have a choice?"

"Nope," he grabs my hand and leads me into the kitchen, "You get bowls, an ice cream scoop, and spoons... I'll get the ice cream and toppings."

We both get to our respective jobs. It's funny how I know where the stuff is in Nick's house. Probably even better than I know where the stuff is in my apartment. But Lilly always puts things back in the wrong spot so I never really know where anything will be anyway.

We meet at the island in the middle of his kitchen with all the goods spread out. He has been buying significantly more ice cream since we've started dating which is definitely okay with me. He finally seems to be realizing that girls need ice cream every night. At least this girl does.

Creating my perfect sundae is like an art. A big scoop of chocolate, a medium scoop of vanilla and a tiny, tiny scoop of strawberry. Then, exactly 3 cherries and chocolate sprinkles. Then the whole thing has to be completely smothered in whipped cream. Perfect.

"It CANNOT be healthy to eat that much sugar before bed," Nick says eying my sundae. His boring sundae consists of a scoop of vanilla, a drizzle of chocolates syrup and a touch of whipped cream.

"Well, I usually burn all of it off once we get to bed," I nudge him and wink playfully.

"True," he smirks. I stick my tongue out at him and grab a huge glob of whipped cream on one of my fingers and fling it at him. It hits him right under his right eye and I laugh at how ridiculous he looks.

"Are you serious?" he asks me in disbelief as he wipes the whipped cream off his face. I can't stop laughing. He looks so shocked... and he also missed a spot.

"Stop laughing!" he commands, trying to keep a straight face which only makes me laugh harder, "I'm serious... stop..."

"Oh yeah? What are you gonna do if I don't?" I taunt him and stick out my tongue again. Then I see him reaching for the can of whipped cream, "No!" I yell at him, but he clutches it and then starts coming towards me, "No, no, no, no, no," I repeat and try and run away from him.

He's too fast for me though and he grabs me around the waist while I struggle and flail about to get out of his arms.

"Noo," I cry as he pushes the nozzle, covering my hair in whipped cream. I put my hands up as a barrier, but he continues to squirt whipped cream into them. I take what he's put in my hands and run in through his hair. By now both of us have fallen to the floor and he squirts whipped cream all over my t-shirt while I try and throw what's on the floor back at him. Soon, the can is empty and all Nick gets when he presses down is air.

"Ugh," I say getting up and wiping the excess whipped cream off of me and into the sink, "You took that too far."

"Oh, come on, it was fun," he says laughing and coming behind me to wrap his arms around me. His face is sticky as he presses his cheek against mine and kisses the corner of my lips.

"Fun for you maybe," I inform him, "Now it's all in my hair and it's all sticky and gross..."

"We could take a shower together," Nick suggests, kissing some of the whipped cream off my face, "I'll help you get all nice and clean..."

"Mmm," I consider, "How about _I_ go take a shower and _you_ can clean up the mess you made?"

I remove myself from his arms and head for the shower while he stands there perplexed.

"Oh yeah," I call from his bedroom door, "Don't forget to put my ice cream in the freezer for later!"

Now I've got the roar of a crowd and Nick's soothing voice in my ears. Of course, the crowd is significantly smaller than in my Hannah days, but I know that they're there because they want to see me perform, not just because I'm a superstar. I'm nervous and jittery, but most of all, excited.

"You're going to be amazing," Nick assures me, "I can already hear the crowd. They're there for _you_, Miley."

"I can do this," I say taking a deep breath, and putting the earpiece in my ear that doesn't have a phone pressed against it.

"Yeah, you can... and even if you can't, I'll still love you anyway," he jokes.

"Gee, thanks," I say sarcastically, but I know he's just trying to be funny so I'm not as nervous so I appreciate it.

"Miss Stewart, you're on in one minute," a stagehand says, giving me my microphone. My band is all set to go on stage a few seconds before me. There's no backing out now even if I wanted to.

"I gotta go," I tell Nick, "I love you, I'll call you after."

"I love you too, baby. Good luck," he says and I hang up. Looking to the left I see Demi. She reaches over and grabs my hand.

"You excited?" she asks me.

"Yeah," I say back as my nervousness slips away. She pulls me into a hug and my band runs out on stage to start playing the intro to my first song, Start All Over. I slip the other earpiece and and go to stand at the bottom of the stairs to the stage.

"3-2-1, go!" the stagehand calls and I walk out on stage to a sea of faces. I'm shocked. There are hundreds of people here. Sure, it's not the THOUSANDS I got with Hannah, but I'm still surprised.

"Miley! Miley! Miley!" they chant and I'm frozen for a second. Then my cue comes and the words just flow out of my mouth. The smile won't leave my face the whole time I'm performing, just like I was meant to. I forgot how amazing this rush was. I dance with my guitarist and pretend to play piano with the keyboardist.

I'm back in my element.

"That was amazing!" Demi cries as I run off stage with my band, "Are you sure you've never performed before?"

She's joking, of course, and I pretend that it didn't happen. I can't believe I just performed as myself. This time there's no backing out if something goes wrong. I have to be Miley all the time. It's scary, but it's also exciting. I reach for a towel someone is handing me and pat my sweaty face dry. Now time for my interview. I walk over to the designated spot and sit next to the hosts of the show.

I easily work my way through the normal questions, where are you from? how did you start? etc, etc. It's almost like second nature to answer these questions although I do have to be a little careful and not give the "Hannah" answers, but the "Miley" answers.

"So you're dating Nick Jonas?" the reporter asks with a smile. I freeze slightly in my seat.

"Yes," I say, trying to keep my face neutral.

"How did you guys meet?"

"Um, actually, I interviewed him on E! a few months ago. That was the first time I met him." Lie.

"Wow, so how long have you guys been dating?"

"A few months," I say slowly and give a panicked look to my publicist. She murmurs something into her earpiece and I can tell that the reporter has gotten the hint.

"Well, you can pick up Miley's debut album in stores now..."

I almost sigh in relief when the interview is over. That would definitely be my least favorite part of being a recording artist. The interviews are always brutal. First of all, they ask you the same questions every time and then of course there's always the fun relationship questions.

I rush off the stage once I'm given the okay and Demi is waiting there with two coffees.

"I love you," I tell her taking the second coffee out of her hand.

"No problem," she laughs, "So I was thinking we could go shopping and then out to dinner? And maybe after my interview we can go clubbing or something."

"Yeah, sure, I just need to go back to the hotel and change and call Nick."

"Oooh gotta call the warden," Demi teases. She thinks that Nick's and my relationship is ridiculous, but that's just because she doesn't understand it. I don't _have_ to call him I _want_ to call him. It makes all the difference in the world.

Once I'm in my hotel room I quickly dialed Nick's number. It was probably around six-ish there so he was probably up and getting ready to start his day.

"Hey! How was it?" is the first thing he says when he picks up.

"It was amazing! There were so many people there! I couldn't believe it!"

"I can't wait to watch it," Nick says with a mischievous tone in his voice.

"No! Don't watch it," I say embarrassed. I don't like the idea of him watching me TV... it just seems so... wrong. Like he can pick apart every thing that I do, even though I know he won't.

"We could wait until you get home to watch it together if you prefer."

Ugh. That would be even worse. He wins. And he knows it.

"Fine, but you can't make fun of me."

"You know I won't," he says softly and I smile to myself.

"Yeah, I know."

"So what are you and Demi up to today?" he asks casually, just trying to make conversation.

"Hm, some shopping and then dinner and her interview."

"Sounds fun."

"Yeah," I yawn, "What about you?"

"Radio interviews," he says and I can almost sense that he's rolling his eyes, "You sound tired, you should take a nap or something."

"I have to go and take a shower anyway, I'll talk to you later?"

"Yeah, I love you, Mi," he says sweetly, making me melt over the phone. I wish he was here so I could wrap my arms around him and feel his strong arms surrounding me. I have to stop thinking about it before I start getting upset over it. He's not here and I'm going to have to live with that. It's not like he can just be around me all the time, he has his own life and job too.

"Love you too," I reply and then hang up the phone and go get ready for the rest of the day.

I'm so happy to be home the next day. New York is nice, but it's just not where I belong. After dropping by my apartment for a little bit, I head over to Nick's to see him. Finally. Three days in entirely too long.

I walk out of the elevator into his penthouse and I'm greeted by only silence. I'm so tired after going out last night that I just want to go back to sleep... preferably with Nick. I know for a fact that he has a day off, but to my surprise he doesn't come to see me when I walk in.

"Nick?" I call through the rooms. Maybe he went out or something? But I called him from the airport so I thought he would be expecting me. Hmm...

"In the kitchen," comes his faint reply. I smile and practically run into the room. He's standing at the counter with his laptop in front of him.

"Hey!" I say as I walk in. He barely even looks up at me. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that he's doing something important and work related on the computer.

I come up behind him and wrap my arms around him from behind. I peek at the computer screen and he doesn't seem to be doing anything except checking his email. I frown slightly.

"Hi," he turns around and presses his lips against mine. Before I can even react, he pulls away. I don't want to start anything, but he is definitely acting weird. I kind of expected we would tear each others clothes off the second I got home. Maybe he's just tired.

"How are you, baby?" I ask him and he turns back to the computer.

"Fine," he replies tartly. I can tell he doesn't actually have anything to do because he keeps opening random emails. I mean, I just saw him open one that was clearly spam.

"Is something wrong?" I finally ask. I've never been one to be subtle about anything and this is no exception.

There's an awkward silence and it makes my heart stop. He didn't say no right away. Which basically means yes. I let go of his waist.

"Nothings wrong..." he starts slowly, "Except for _this_," he opens a window that was previously minimized on his screen.

It takes me a minute to realize what it is. A gossip site. Then I see the picture. It's me and Demi getting into the car after the club last night. Really not the most attractive picture. We're both laughing so hard that our mouths are wide open, I'm practically falling over with laughter. I laugh at myself then quickly stop when Nick gives me a look. He scrolls down a little to the article.

"_Newbie Miley Stewart was seen partying it up with the famous Demi Lovato in NYC. Witnesses said that both girls were stumbling and appeared to be "completely trashed". Club goers said that they were constantly surrounded by a crowd of males and seemed to be having a great time. Slow down, Miley, don't want to get too caught up in the party scene before your career takes off."_

"That's ridiculous," I say shaking my head, "You know that this article is completely exaggerating right?"

"Really?" Nick asks clicking the link for more pictures. There's Demi and I in the club. How did people even get pictures of this? All I remember is the paparazzi outside. Demi and I knocking back shots. But we only had one each. I swear. And then red bull as a chaser, so it was like nothing. Then there's both of us dancing with two guys. But its not like we were grinding or anything. We're like at least a foot apart. Probably more. And facing forward.

"Nothing happened, Nick," I say rolling my eyes, "I wasn't even drunk."

"What are you _wearing?_" he asks, scrolling through more pictures. A white tank top tucked into a black skirt. It's really not a big deal. It's a little short, but I wore spandex underneath so it's not like anyone could have seen anything.

"You're like completely overreacting," I tell him shaking my head and backing away. I'm suddenly sorry that I even came over. I'm tired and not in the mood to deal with this.

"Sorry I get a little concerned when my girlfriend is going out in skimpy outfits without me..." Nick says in a voice that's so unlike his normal tone. He sounds mean and hurtful and it takes me completely by surprise.

"What? You think I'd let something happen?" Tears burn in my eyes. Doesn't he trust me?

"I don't know!" he yells frustrated, "But you can't just _do_ these things Miley. You have to think about your image. Demi has years of credibility to play on, don't get sucked into her world."

"My _image?"_ I practically shriek at him, "Seriously, my image? This was my _life_, Nick. Before I met you this is what I did every weekend. Clubbing is not a big deal. It's not like I'm doing drugs or something! I know how to practice self-control."

My throat hurts after screaming like that and a few stray tears roll down my face. I wipe them away angrily. I don't want to cry in front of him. He stands in front of me just looking at me for a moment. My chest is heaving from all the exertion.

"I'm sorry," he whimpers suddenly. He sounds so fragile and young and honest that my heart almost breaks, "I'm sorry," he repeats and comes close to me, pulling me into his chest. I sob quietly into his shirt. He doesn't even care, he just grips me tighter and strokes my hair gently. Once I've calmed down our lips connect, he already starts pushing me towards his bedroom and we've cleared his door when he pulls away.

"I sounded just like my dad," he groans after we've both had a few moments to get a hold of ourselves, "I didn't mean to come off like that. I just get nervous about you going out with Demi. I wouldn't want anything to happen to you."

He buries his face into my hair and I rest my cheek against his chest. I can't help but get that vibe that he's trying to say something about Demi _again._ Just like the way he said 'I get nervous about you doing out _with Demi.' _This is it. I have to ask.

"Is this about Demi?" I blurt out and Nick pulls away suddenly to look at my face.

"No," he says with a chuckle. It sounds completely fake to my ears, "What would make you think that?"

"Because you always seem to bring her up," I shrug, "You seem to have something against us being friends. If there's something wrong I want to know about it."

"No... I..." he says nervously, "I mean... I just get worried about her... intentions with you."

I wrinkle my forehead in confusion. I don't get what he's trying to say.

"Why? We're friends, Nick. It's not like she's using me or anything... that wouldn't even make sense, she's already famous..."

"I know... it's just that..." he struggles for the right words before finding them, "Demi and I..."

_Demi and I._ Those two words together connected by and makes my blood run cold. I shift out of his arms and look at him with distrust. Him and Demi had something. I should have known it. But I'll let him explain himself. I sit down on the edge of his bed.

He takes a seat next to me and grabs my hand. I try to wiggle my hand out of his grasp but he holds on tightly.

"Back in the day, Demi and I used to write a lot of songs together..."

I know that. Everyone knows that. But I let him continue anyway.

"Everyone said we had this great song writing chemistry and that when we wrote together we were so in sync..." he looks at me as if waiting me to say something, but all I can do is nod a little. I need to hear the whole story before I overreact. It can't be that bad, right?

"One day we were up in Canada filming... Joe was out and Kevin was back in Jersey with Danielle... Demi and I were just hanging out together. We both had our guitars... we were just sitting in her room..."

I feel like my throat has closed shut. I couldn't think of something to say if my life depended on it. Nick and Demi. That's just so... wrong.

"So we just playing around and then we decided to see if our writing chemistry could possibly be... other chemistry," he sounds like he's in pain as he tells this story. I pull my hand out of his and he stands up and starts pacing in front of me.

"She, uh, I mean... I... well, we kissed," he finally admits. He looks at me like he's kind of scared.

It was a long time ago, I tell myself. It doesn't matter.

"And um... we, uh, we had sex. She was my first. Demi Lovato was my first," he repeats and I let out a strangled noise. _Not a big deal, not a big deal_ I repeat over and over to myself. It's not like Nick was my first or I thought it was his first time.

"So... who was your first?" Nick asks like it's funny, but it really isn't. This isn't some conversation we're having to learn more about each other. This is a confession.

"Jake Ryan," I whisper and Nick stops pacing and looks at me like I've killed his puppy. His metaphorical puppy I mean.

"Oh," he says quietly and runs his hand through his hair. We're both sitting there in silence and I look down at my hands in my lap. I guess we both know how the other one is feeling. We both lost our virginity to someone famous.

"But you don't have feelings for her anymore, right?"

He sighs in relief that I'm not blowing up at him, "I never had feelings for her, Mi. I didn't feel anything for her..."

I stand up suddenly.

"You didn't feel anything for her?"

"No, nothing, nothing like how it is with you, Mi..."

"So you just had sex with her and left?" I can't believe him. How could he be that person? How could my perfect Nick be the kind of person who just... fucks and runs?

"I can't even..." I'm gasping for air, I can't breathe... I can't think, "How could..." I try again, but I still can't finish the sentence.

"No... it wasn't..." Nick sounds confused, but to be honest it's hard to hear him with all the thoughts running through my mind, "It wasn't like that... I thought maybe I did, but then I didn't... and then... I just couldn't face her... Miley..."

"I have to go," I say suddenly getting up. I walk out the bedroom door and head quickly to the elevator. I don't know where I'm going, but all I know is I need to get away from him.


	24. Chapter 24

I storm out of Nick's room to the elevator doors and push the button. I half expect Nick to come after me but he doesn't. His loss. The anger and adrenaline is coursing fast though my veins, heating up my whole body.

And then it hits me. I think I just broke up with him. Fuck.

Nick, Demi, Jake... all three faces run through my mind, but the last one lingers. His blond hair, my darkened bedroom, the nervousness, the clothes on the floor. My face is flushed and I press it against the cool metal of the elevator door.

_You didn't love Jake_ the little voice in the back of my head says.

_Yes you did_ I argue back, but I know it's not true. I just thought I loved him. Just like Nick thought he might love Demi. _Nick made a mistake, but it was a long time ago. You've made mistakes too, Miley._

The elevator finally opens and I stare blankly at the empty cab. My reflection stares back at me in the mirror. What the hell am I doing running away from Nick like this?

Quickly, I turn around and basically run back to his bedroom.

He's still sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. His hair is all messed up and I know it's from running his hands through it like he always does when he's upset.

"Nick," I whisper, approaching him slowly as not to startle him. He looks up slowly, blinking confusedly.

"I'm sorry," I say cupping his face, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I repeat over and over showering his face with kisses. He's still in shock and doesn't move at all, but that doesn't stop me.

"It was stupid of me to get mad about something that happened so long ago... obviously you're not that person anymore," I swallow my pride and admit. He's still staring at me and I'm starting to feel a little scared. Maybe I've pushed him too far this time.

"Miley," he says slowly reaching up to hold my wrists. My pulse beats heavily against his guitar callous fingers and I almost can't breathe. He pulls my hands away from his face and intertwines our fingers.

"You came back," he says in wonder.

"Yeah," I say, guiding our hands until they're on my waist where I leave Nick's and raise mine up to his shoulders.

"I love you," I tell him with a smile.

"I love you more," he responds and pulls me closer to him until I can't stand anymore and I'm forced to fall onto him on the bed.

"Smooth, Nick."

"I thought so," he says with a cheeky grin, but then gets serious, "I'm sorry, I should have told you about Demi sooner instead of acting all weird about it."

"Yeah," I agree and for a moment it looks like he's going to argue, but I interject before he can, "But I can't expect to know your life story. What's important is that we're here together now. I want you to be honest with me though, okay?"

Nick nods, "As long as you'll be honest with me. I was just... worried that maybe she still had feelings for me and that she might have bad intentions. We never really talked it out."

"Do you want to?"

"Honestly, I don't think its necessary. What's done is done. I guess we're both over it," Nick says, sliding his hands up the back of my shirt. The sensation is so distracting, I know this serious conversation isn't going to last much longer.

"Besides," I say with a grin, "I'm pretty sure she's moved on to a different JoBro."

Nick chuckles, "Yeah, her and Joe always were something. The age difference was kind of strange when we were filming, but now it's not even an issue."

"We should set them up!" I exclaim. I mean, come on, it would be perfect, Demi's my friend, Joe is Nick's brother, we could casually invite them over for dinner or something...

"NO!" Nick says shaking his head, "I can already see what's going through your mind and the answer is no. We are _not _inviting them over for dinner and then leaving them together."

I gape at him. How could he possibly know what I was thinking? That is freaky. Or love.

"Why don't we just focus on one relationship for now?" Nick smirks, pulling me even closer, if that's even possible while I'm laying on top of him.

"Oh yeah? What relationship is that?" I smirk right back, leaning down so that we're face to face.

Nick leans in to kiss me, nibbling my bottom lip gently, making me want more, but then he pulls away.

"The one that involves you," kiss, "me," kiss, "and our clothes on the floor..."

"Nick!" I cry sitting up so that I'm straddling him now. I hit him on the shoulder, "You're so... _inappropriate._"

"Aw, you know you love it," he retorts, moving so that his legs aren't falling off the end of the bed anymore. I shift with him so that I'm sitting on his lower stomach. I glare down at him for a moment and a look of panic crosses his face. Perfect.

"Duh," I say with a wink before leaning down and pressing my lips against his to which he readily responds. And that's all we need to forget this "fight" ever happened.

Much later, and with much less clothing on, Nick and I are still laying in bed. My head is snuggled against his chest and his arm is wrapped around me, his fingers running aimlessly through my hair making me feel sleepy, but content. The covers are sitting loosely around our waists and everything seems perfect after several mind blowing orgasms courtesy of Nick J. My eyes flutter closed, but my fingers continue to draw patterns across Nick's stomach.

"I feel like I could do this for the rest of my life."

My eyes fly open and I look up at Nick. His eyes are closed just like mine were and I don't think he realizes he said that out loud. But I'm definitely not complaining because the same thing was just running through my mind.

"Nick?" I whisper, placing my palm over his heart. I can feel it beating against my hand and I feel like it belongs to me.

"Did I just say that outloud?" he asks embarrassed. I smile slightly, but I don't laugh because I don't want him to feel insecure.

"Yeah, but I like that idea," I press myself against him harder. It's like I can't get close enough to him no matter how hard I try.

"Me too. I love you, Mi,-"

"I love you too," I interrupt with a cute smile.

He crinkles his nose at me, "As I was _saying_ I love you, Mi, so I was thinking-"

"That's dangerous," I interrupt again.

Nick groans and rolls over, pinning me to the bed, he's squishing me slightly, but I kind of like feeling his weight against me.

"Could you _please_ just let me finish? Is that really too much to ask?" he sighs in mock frustration. I open my mouth, but his presses a finger against my lips. "I was thinking... maybe you should move in with me?" he bites his lip nervously and looks down at me.

All the reasons why I shouldn't run through my head. It's too soon. That's too serious. What would my dad say? The press? But the truth is, none of that matters. I basically live here anyway and Nick and I _are _serious.

"You don't have to answer right away," he babbles, "You know, just think about it... you can take a week. Or even a month. I don't care. Or you don't have to if you don't want to..."

"Nick," I cut him off, but this time it's for a good reason, "I would love to move in with you."

"That's okay, I mean, I know I kind of sprung this on you- wait, what?"

"I said yes. I'll move in with you, baby," I swing my arms around his neck and kiss him.

"Really?" he says, his eyes lighting up like a little boy's on Christmas. It's funny that he's so shocked, I basically live here anyway.

"Yes, really," I reply and then Nick's lips attack mine and we're back to where we were moments before, physically showing our love for each other.

I think back to last night as I'm driving home early from work and I can't help but smile. Every time we're together it's perfect. And soon we're going to be officially living together. My first live-in boyfriend. I swear I will never find anything as amazing as him. Ever.

He's so sweet and caring and loving and he gets so upset when he thinks I'm mad at him. He always just wants to make me happy. I want to make him happy. I'm thinking we should have a little celebration since I'm going to be moving into his penthouse.

So I'm wracking my brain for ideas of what I could do. Get a gift? No, that's too obvious. Write him a song? No, not special enough; all my songs are about him. Then I drive by the food store and a plan pops into my head. Make him a nice home cooked meal. In _our_ apartment. Usually we just go out or get takeout or sometimes he'll make something quick, but I know that (because a. he's a boy and b. his mom is in Texas) he's not getting a lot of good home made meals.

Also, he's been working super hard lately, holding tryouts for a new backup band. Finally he's hired people and today is their first rehearsal. I know he'll be tired after that. After all, it's his music, he's basically in charge of them to get the right sound. Sure, he wrote everything and played (almost) everything for the album, but he can't do that on stage, obviously.

Once I get in the store, the next question is What should I make for him?

The obvious answer would be steak, but that seems so... well, obvious. Everyone knows that's his favorite to order out, but what's a nice meal that he would enjoy? Chicken? Boring. Mexican? Too casual. I want it to be kind of nice. And then it hits me. Duh. Think about Nick's childhood... homemade Italian food. Perfect.

I quickly whip out my phone and scroll down to the right person.

"Hello? Denise? I'm going to need some help..."

Nothing is going right. You'd think that making a nice dinner for my boyfriend would get me some good karma, but apparently not.

After getting to Nick's house and putting all of the groceries away, I decided to go home and get some nice clothes to change into and some other things that are necessary for a girl to get ready. Soon enough, I'll be packing everything up and bringing it to Nick's, but I decided to save that for another day.

But of course, when I got to my apartment, Lilly was home and we wound up gossiping forever. I love that girl to death. I broke the news to her about moving in with Nick and I was surprised to find that she had already made plans to make my bedroom into a home office. Gee, good to know I'm loved. But as usual with my best-friend-forever time flew by. So after _that_ I finally got back to Nick's place and it was almost four. Not a big deal, I thought, I'll just go take a shower and get dressed, then I can start making the vodka sauce and cooking the chicken breast. Denise swore to me that this was his favorite meal, and to be honest it seemed pretty simple at the time.

I don't know where the time went, but Nick called about two minutes ago saying that he was getting ready to leave and would be home soon and I'm just pouring the pasta into the boiling water now. I'm also not wearing shoes (hey, it hurts to walk around the kitchen in four inch heels!) and my hair, which at one point was down in loose curls, its now piled messily on top of my head because of how _hot_ it is in the kitchen.

I wanted to have it all ready by the time he came home, but apparently that's not happening. I turn the heat down on the stove and focus on getting a salad made. Trust me, making dinner is a lot easier when you're NOT trying to impress someone.

The timer dings for the garlic bread in the oven and I quickly open it and take it out. It's a little burnt on the edges, I'll admit, but other than that it smells amazing. After putting it on a plate, I quickly go and set the table nicely. Then I scurry back to the kitchen and drain the penne pasta before pouring it into a huge bowl. Finally, I add the vodka sauce and stir it all up. I'm just about finish when the elevator dings, signaling Nick is home. Ugh. Is it really too much to ask for that my life go smoothly for one night so I can have dinner on the table when my boyfriend gets home? But it could be worse, at least I'm finished cooking everything.

"Miley?" Nick calls out, wandering through his penthouse towards the kitchen, "Mmm... something smells amazing... did you..." he gets cut off when he walks into the kitchen and sees me standing there with my hair in a mess and a stupid apron on. Not exactly how I pictured this moment, but it will have to do.

My hand flies to my hair and I quickly try and yank the ponytail holder out, but in accordance with the rest of my night, it gets stuck in my head and I can't get it out.

"Ow," I say pathetically as I tug at my hair.

"Here, let me help you," Nick comes over and gently untangles my hair. He's so sweet. And I'm such a klutz. Ugh.

"Baby, did you cook all this?" he says looking around the room at all the food.

"Yeah, for you, to celebrate us moving in together," I say and he smiles.

"Aw, Mi, you didn't have to. Can I help you with anything?" he asks. But I refuse to let him help. This is all about him.

"How about you go sit down, pour yourself a glass of wine and I'll be right out, okay?" I tell him, pushing him out of the kitchen gently. I know that if I don't forcefully remove him, he'll stick around and try and help me.

When Nick leaves the kitchen I take a deep breath in and out. Relax, Miley. This is just dinner with your boyfriend. That you made. That he's going to compare to his moms. I groan inwardly. This was such a mistake. I quickly untie the apron and throw it aside.

Turning around, I check my reflection in the microwave. My makeup is a little smudged, but it's okay. I fluff my hair and check my teeth. Okay. Everything is fine. A little off track, but fine.

I jump slightly when I hear a noise behind me and quickly whip around to see Nick holding two glasses of wine.

"I thought I told you to sit down," I put my hands on my hips.

"Sorry, he says offering me a glass which I take, "But I didn't even get to kiss my beautiful, sexy, amazing girlfriend hello."

"Oh, well, in _that_ case, I guess it can be overlooked," I smile and Nick wraps the hand not holding the glass around my waist and pulls me close. He gives me a quick peck on the lips and I instantly relax. I love how he can do that to me. Suddenly, dinner doesn't seem like such a disaster.

"How about you let me help you bring this food to the table, okay?" he says softly, rubbing my back gently.

"Okay," I mumble, nuzzling into his neck and taking in his scent. It's purely Nick and I'm as in love with it as I am with him. Once I've completely calmed down I pull away.

"Here you grab this," I hand him the bowl of pasta and grab the chicken. After one more trip back for the salad and garlic bread, everything is set.

Nick puts the salad bowl down and then takes the plate from me, setting it down too. Then he pulls out a chair for me. Such a gentleman.

"Thank you," I giggle.

"So to what do I owe this wonderful meal?"

"Celebrating me moving in, of course," I tell him as he serves both of us food.

"So should I expect this every night when we live together?" he jokes.

"Don't count on it," I say rolling my eyes.

"Well, here's to moving in with my beautiful girlfriend," Nick says raising his glass to clink it against mine. I take a sip of the wine and we start eating. It may seem simple, we've had dinner together plenty of times before, but somehow this seems different... but in a good way.

_This is what being married would be like _I think to myself, imagining the empty seats at the table filled with miniature versions of Nick and I.

And I can't deny it, I really, really like that vision.

Later that night after dinner, Nick and I are talking in bed about our days. Nick is sitting with his back straight against the headboard while I'm straddling his lap facing him.

"... but then the guitarist finally got it right and it sounded amazing... I can't wait to perform," Nick finished his story, his eyes shinning with excitement. His backup band has just started rehearsing with him and I can tell he's so ready to start touring and performing again.

"That's so exciting," I say, his happiness is so contagious, "When can I come watch?"

"Hm..." he says thinking while rubbing his warm hands up and down my sides, "Maybe towards the end of the week."

"Yay!" I exclaim and he smiles. I can't wait to see my baby perform. He's so amazing and talented and perfect and... well you get the picture.

"So Miss Miley, how was your day?" he asks me.

"Good... I met with a vocal coach for a little bit, then did a small photo shoot for a magazine, then I went food shopping and made you dinner," I finish, tapping him on the nose on the word 'you'.

"Mmm, and it was delicious, even better than my mom's," he rubs his stomach for emphasis and I laugh, "You're amazing, baby."

"Don't tell your mother that," I warn, "And you deserve it," I tell him honestly and run my hands through his soft curls.

I run my fingers down to his face and cup it in my two hands. He leans in to kiss me and I meet him halfway. It's soft and sweet and perfect. When we pull away, we're both smiling goofily at each other. His eyes are dark and his gaze travels downward taking in my body.

"I like this shirt," he says in a low tone, referring to the tight camisole that I'm wearing as a pajama top. Braless, I should add, which probably adds to his admiration.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," he says, kissing along my collarbone and down my sternum. His fingers nudge the straps of my shoulders so he can kiss more of my skin. Or so he can get it off. He pulls away and I can already feel his pajama pants getting tighter underneath me.

He leans in close and rubs his nose against my gently. My breathing hitches as his warm breath meets my skin.

"You're beautiful," he tells me and I start blushing while he continues to slide his nose across my skin. Why can't he just freaking kiss me already? He pulls away to look at my red face.

"You seem kind of hot, babe," he smirks, "Maybe you should take this off," he suggests fingering the strap of my cami where it lays on my upper arm.

"Yeah, you'd like that..." I roll my eyes and push the straps back into place. His face falls and it takes everything in me not to laugh. I grab the bottom of my shirt, pulling it over my head and tossing it aside.

Nick smiles widely, staring at my chest. He's an absolute sweetheart 95% of the time so it's okay that he's being a little perverted right now. And truthfully, it doesn't feel strange. I always feel comfortable and safe around him, that's one of the many reasons I know I truly love him.

I lean in and rub my nose against his.

"I love you," I say softly and start tugging at his shirt. He quickly gets the hint and reaches down to pull it off himself. Starting at his neck, I leave small chaste kisses all over his skin. He sighs and slides down so that now we're both vertical on the bed.

Our lips connect and his tongue quickly darts into my mouth, massaging my own. We take our time kissing slowly for what feels like hours. His hands graze over my body lightly, which is even more tantalizing. I can't even remember the last time we just made out like this without it going farther, but I realize that I've kind of missed it. I don't know how much time has passed, but eventually he pulls away, leaning his head against the pillows on his bed.

"I love you," he says out of breath.

"I love you too," I reply and peck him gently on the lips. Then I trail my hands down to his pajama bottoms and slide one under the elastic waistband. We start making out again, but this time instead of slow, it's fierce and full of desire. His hands find their way to my chest, doing all the right things. After teasing him with my hand for a little bit, I give in and pull his pants completely off and he reciprocates by sliding my shorts down my legs.

I can't believe how good it feels just to have our skin touching. The way he looks straight into my eyes instead of at my body has my heart racing. Sometimes I think intimate moments like these are even better than actually having sex. His hand comes up to tuck my hair behind my ear, leaving goosebumps where his hand grazes my face. I sigh in pleasure and he gives me a tiny smile.

"You're so beautiful," he tells me, looking at me so intensely that I know he means it. And he means _me. _Not my body, or my hair, or my eyes, but my _soul._ I'm not perfect and I would never claim to be, but I can see through Nick's eyes that to him, I am. I know because I feel the same thing when I look at him. He's not perfect, but he's perfect for me.

"No, you are," I reply and he gets what I mean because the truth is, we get each other. Even when he's in a bad mood or mad at me I always know exactly where he's coming from. Then he flips us over so I'm on the bottom and kisses me passionately.

When we finally come together, the whole world feels like it's in balance. The universe is exactly how it should be because Nick and I are joined as one.

Tonight we go slow, taking our time to enjoy each other fully. I don't think I've ever felt more in sync with him that I do tonight. He just seems to sense what I want without me saying anything and by his groans and pants, I can tell that I'm doing the same for him.

Even though we're going slowly, all good things must come to an end. I can feel my climax approaching quickly and even though I wish we could stay this way forever, I know I can't stop it now.

"Nick, I'm going to-" I'm interrupted by my own gasp as he finds a particularly wonderful spot, "Oh my God, don't stop whatever you're doing."

"Trust me, I won't," Nick lets out a small chuckle. Even in the throes of passion he's still the same old sarcastic Nicholas. His pace increases and I can tell he's getting close too. I push my hips up against his, increasing the pleasure for both of us.

"Mi," he sighs into my ear, "Let go, I can't take it any longer."

I shake my head, I will continue to get gratification out of this until I can't anymore, "You first."

"No, you," he insists, never stopping his pace. We would be able to argue even while making love.

"Same time?" I offer. It's hard to make long coherent sentences when you're starting to see little black dots in your vision.

"Okay," he agrees picking up the pace.

"Now?"

"_Now_," he insists, almost violently, but not really because after all, it's Nick. One last hard thrust and all I can see for a moment is white as waves of pleasure invade my body. When my vision comes back, Nick has rolled off of me to the side and I'm still practically shaking in his arms.

"That. was. amazing." I say in between pants, letting my eyes fall close. Amazing, but completely exhausting.

"You're amazing," is all I hear and a light kiss is placed on my temple before sleep entices me into its embrace.


	25. Chapter 25

"How much stuff could you possibly own?" Joe groans, while unloading the elevator.

I don't know why he's complaining. It's actually pretty easy to stack boxes into the elevator then press the button for Nick's floor, although I will admit I have a lot of stuff. Not my fault.

Nick's whole foyer is filled with cardboard boxes and Nick and Joe continue to bring them up from the moving van I rented. He probably wouldn't be so annoyed if they hadn't just loaded it all at my old apartment.

Demi and Lilly (who hit it off right away) are both here to help me try to sort the boxes as they come in, just to make this as quick as possible. We quickly realized that Nick's stuff AND my stuff aren't all going to fit in his bed room. Although his closet is HUGE, it's simply not big enough for both of our stuff. So, for the time being, we're putting only the clothes and things we need in Nick's, I mean, OUR room and the rest of it will being going in the guestroom. Joe has finally found his own apartment and is doing amazingly well for a recovering alcoholic. He's even landed a few big auditions and we're all keeping our fingers crossed.

"It's not that much stuff!" I argue as Joe goes back into the elevator and Nick comes out.

"I have to agree with Joe on this one, babe," he says grunting as he lays down a box in front of me. Demi laughs while I pout. Everyone is ganging up on me.

"But this is the last trip, right?"

"Yes, FINALLY," Joe exaggerates as he comes back in the room, "Just one more box and I'm free..."

"I can see why you're going into acting," I roll my eyes and Demi laughs again.

Once the last box is brought in we all take a moment to just stare at the mess in silence.

"Do you want us to help you unpack this stuff?" Lilly asks. Have I mentioned how much I love this girl?

"I'm sure you guys are busy..." I say, not wanting to waste their time. I know for a fact that Lilly has a date in less than two hours and I'm sure the rest of them have plans too. It's already past five and we've been packing up stuff and moving it since about ten.

"It's really not a problem, Miles," Demi adds while Joe shoots her a glance. I'm almost positive there is something going on between them, but so far both of them are remaining silent about it.

"That's okay, guys," Nick interjects, "Thanks so much for help, but we can take it from here."

I love how he can do that. He always knows the perfectly polite thing to say to get exactly what we want. Alone time. Unfortunately in the past week, we have definitely been missing that. I've been staying at Lilly's (and my old) apartment to get all my stuff together and Nick has been busy working at the studio.

"Oh!" I exclaim as every one is about to leave, "I forgot, Lilly, I have to give you the extra key to the apartment. Want to come with me while I get it?"

She agrees and we both go into the bedroom. After searching my coat pockets for a few minutes I find it and hand it to her.

"So I guess this is it, huh?" Lilly says while taking it.

I laugh a little, "God, Lilly, we've not breaking up," I tease.

"I know," she says a little defensively, "But after so long we're not going to be roommates anymore."

"Aw, Lilly," I say looking at her sad blue eyes, "You'll always be my best friend whether we live together or not. You've been there through it all. You're the best friend I ever could have asked for, through Hannah, through high school, through college, though this."

Lilly's eyes tear up and mine do too. We both simultaneously go to each other for a huge best friends hug.

"You're a great friend too, Miley," Lilly says, squeezing me tightly like only a best friend can do, "I'm so excited for you to be starting this new adventure with Nick. And-," she pulls away and gives me a smirk, "I can't want to be the maid of honor at your wedding."

"Lilly!" I cry in embarrassment, hitting her shoulder gently.

"I'm just saying..." she teases me as we both leave the room.

We come back into foyer to see Joe putting on his coat while Nick helps Demi with hers. They embrace in a good bye and Demi's head lingers by Nick's for a moment. I stare at them confused for a moment. Then they pull away and Nick nods his head slightly. I wonder what that was about. But before I can think about it Joe wraps his arms around me tightly in a bone-crushing brotherly hug.

"Thanks for the good time, Miley," he says sarcastically, but with a smile in his tone, "Next time you need help moving, please hesitate to call me."

I laugh and I can hear Nick, Demi, and Lilly laughing too.

"Shut up," I retort cleverly. He releases me and then goes to talk to Nick and Demi comes over and hugs me too.

"Don't listen to him, Miles," she says rolling her eyes, "It was fun hanging out with all of you today. Good luck unpacking everything!"

After some more exchanging of words and goodbyes, Nick and I are finally alone in _our_ penthouse. He turns to me and grins.

"I've missed you," he says wrapping his arms around me in a tight hug.

"We've been together all day, silly," I say even though I know what he means.

"Yeah, but we were with everyone else and we've been been so busy lately," he explains, dropping a quick kiss on the top of my head. I snuggle my face against his chest and just breathe him in.

"So are you ready to start unpacking?" I ask pulling away and he gives me an incredulous look. I laugh to myself. Sure, we might finally be getting alone time, but there's a lot of stuff that needs to get done and the sooner we start the sooner we finish.

"But Miley," he all but whines, "I've been working all day... let's just order out and relax, watch a movie or something."

He looks so adorable standing there with a pout on his face and his white t-shirt clinging to his torso. I almost want to give in.

"But Nick, we can't just leave all these boxes sitting around!" I insist, heading into the bed room where there are boxes of my clothes waiting to be unpacked. I turn around to see if he's following me and I'm surprised when he suddenly grabs me around the waist and throws us both down onto his bed.

"Nick! Stop! We have to at least _start_ getting this done," I try and wiggle out of his reach while he circles my waist and tucks his head under my chin.

"Nooo... let's just sleep," he says snuggling against me and closing his eyes.

"Nick!" I groan trying to push him off of me while he makes exaggerated snoring noises. He just holds onto me tighter and presses himself against me harder.

"Okay, let's make a deal," I propose. He doesn't let go, but he stops his "snoring" and opens one eye to look at me.

"We'll order Chinese food, start putting stuff away and then once it gets here we'll stop, okay?"

I can almost see him thinking, weighing out the pros and cons and trying to figure out if he can get a better deal. Finally he loosens his grip and nods.

"Good boy," I say sticking out my tongue and getting up off the bed to find the menu so we can order.

Once the food is all ordered, I go straight for the box of things that need to be hung up in the closet. I don't want anything to get wrinkled because ironing it all would be a huge pain. I grab a pile of hangers and putting my clothes on them while Nick goes to open another box.

"Score!" he cries suddenly and I look over to see what he's talking about.

Smirking cheekily, he pulls out a pair of lacy red panties and holds them up so I can see them. Apparently he got the underwear and pajama box. I roll my eyes and watch him dig around in the box for a little bit before pulling out the matching bra.

"Have you ever worn these?" he asks, searching for a tag.

"_Under_ my clothes," I say putting my hands on my hips and raising an eyebrow. You'd think he was holding the meaning of life by the way he's staring.

"Why haven't I seen you in them?" he demands and I want to laugh at how ridiculous he sounds. He looks up at me and his eyes darken and I know that he's undressing me in his mind and that I'm wearing the lingerie he's holding.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Nick," I say.

"It's kind of hard when I just found out you own something like this," Nick glances downward at them again.

I walk over and take the lingerie from his hands. His face lights up for a second, but then I toss the garments onto the bed. I grab his hips and pull him close to me. I can feel him shiver as I start whispering into his ear.

"Maybe if you're really good and work really hard, I'll put it on for you later."

His eyes open wide and then glance down at my chest and back again. It's so fun to tease him like this.

"Does that sound good?" I ask him. He swallows noticeably and nods. I smile back at him, "Good, now get to work," I push him away from the box and playfully slap his ass as he walks away. His back stiffens slightly and he turns around to give me a playful glare. I stick out my tongue and wink at him. That gets him. He laughs out loud, throwing his head back.

"You're ridiculous," he says, shaking his head, and taking over my job hanging clothes up while I start putting my stuff into the space he cleared in his dresser.

"But you love me," I say giving him a cute smile.

"Not by choice," he jokes and I open my mouth wide, pretending to be offended. Then I throw a balled up pair of socks at him.

He dodges them easily and chuckles, "No need to get violent, Mi. You know you're the only girl I'd want to be in love with."

It's cheesy and stupid, but I can't help the grin that takes over my face.

"Baby?"

"Yes?"

"That was sweet, but get back to work!" I say sternly, turning around so he can't see the smile on my face. He chuckles again, but soon I hear the rustling of fabric so I know he's getting something done. I can't wait until everything is all put away because then it will be official. Nick and I will be living together and that just takes us one step closer to being together forever.

After the food gets here and we're done eating, we're both sitting on the couch snuggling.

"You smell," I say randomly. But it's true. He does kinda smell. I mean, he was lifting boxes all day, so it's not surprising. But you try cuddling up to a sweaty guy... not so fun.

"Gee thanks," he says pulling his arm back.

"You should take a shower."

"_We_ could take a shower," he counters with a smile.

"Perv," I roll my eyes.

"Is that a yes?" he asks standing up.

"Nope," I say popping the 'p' and getting up too, "But once you're done you're shower, I can take mine and then I can put on what you picked for me earlier," I say seductively with a wink.

"Okay, deal," Nick agrees quickly. Jeez, I know it's been a while since we've been so busy, but usually he takes a little bit of convincing before agreeing to my plans.

I start unpacking some more stuff while Nick goes into the bathroom and runs the water. After a record breaking shower, Nick walks out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist.

"Your turn!" he announces and I turn around to face him. Water droplets cover his bare torso while the towel is slung extremely low on his hips. Oh, my God. I want him. I want to have him right there. I close my eyes for a second and when I open them I avoid looking at him. Grabbing the lingerie I make a beeline for the bathroom.

"Relax," I tell him as I walk by, running a finger down his chest. I lean in and give him a peck on the lips and he smiles at me as I close the bathroom door.

Once in the bathroom, I take a deep breath. Just relax, Miley. Okay. Confession time. It's completely my time of the month. I know, what awful timing right? Before it was easy to avoid this kind of thing. I'd make excuses why I couldn't sleep over or why I was tired. But now we're living together and I can't just do that. And we haven't been together in over a week so finding a good excuse is pretty hard. But I _think_ this plan will work because other wise I don't know what I'm going to do.

I mean, I _could_ tell him, but it's just so embarrassing. I hate getting my period and I don't really want to explain it to him. Obviously he knows I get it, but we've managed to avoid talking about it so far and I wouldn't mind it staying that way. I know it's unrealistic, but come on, we just moved in together. No need to freak the guy out completely.

I take my time in the bathroom, slowly letting the water heat up and taking a luxuriously long shower. Then I step out and brush my teeth, making sure to brush each tooth and then I floss, which I don't normally do. Finally, when there's no other way I can stall, I open the door cautiously, still wrapped in my towel.

I smile at the sight. Mission accomplished. Just like I predicted, he's already fast asleep in bed. I knew he'd be tired after moving boxes all day and that he would be out like a light if I just left him for a few moments. After admiring the good job I did, I slip on my pajamas and carefully crawl into bed next to him.

I hear the rustle of sheets and a small groan and I turn over to see Nick stretching in bed.

"'Morning, baby," I say softly and reach over to run a hand through his hair. When I try to pull away he grabs my hand and latches onto it with his own.

"What happened last night?" he asks blinking his eyes, trying to wake up.

"You fell asleep on me, silly," I giggle and he blushes a little. He's so cute in the morning.

"Oh... sorry," he apologizes and moves closer to me, circling my waist with his strong arms.

"It's okay," I murmur contently, moving my arms so that they're around him too.

He starts placing kisses on my neck, starting out soft and then slowly building up to something more as he nips and sucks at the skin.

"_Nick,"_ I whine, pushing him away.

"What?" he asks, still not stopping.

"Stop it," I push him away more forcefully and roll out of bed.

I must look pretty mad standing there with my hands on my hips glaring at him because his face immediately turns apologetic.

"Sorry," he says getting up and coming over to me. He pulls me into a tight hug and eventually I hug him back.

"It's okay... we have a lot of work to do today," I say surveying the room filled with boxes. I don't even want to think about the guest room which also has boxes everywhere. Maybe Joe is right, maybe I do have too much stuff.

Nick groans loudly and I laugh, "You're the one who wanted me to move in with you," I tease him.

"Yeah, but I didn't know it would be this much work," he complains. I look at him and I can tell that he's only slightly serious. I pull away and take his hand.

"How about if I make you breakfast first?" I ask heading for the kitchen.

"Waffles?" he asks hopefully trailing behind me. Yeah, he is SUCH a boy. Always concerned about food. But at least when he's thinking about food he's not thinking about the sex that we won't be having for at least four days.

"If that's what you want."

"I want _you,_" his hands grab onto my waist and pull me back against his toned chest. Or maybe I was wrong.

"Ugh, just stop," I say frustrated, pulling myself away from his grip. I'm annoyed now and I can't help but slam things on the counter as I pull them out to make breakfast.

"What's your _problem_?" Nick asks following me into the kitchen and watching me get out stuff.

No he didn't.

"I'm not the one with the problem," I retort trying to reach for a bowl on the top shelf. Nick comes over and gets it effortlessly before placing it in front of me.

"Oh yeah? So what's my problem?"

"Did you ever just think maybe I don't want to have sex? That's all you ever want. God, you're such a guy," I rant unconsciously to him. The things I'm saying aren't necessarily true, but I'm just so annoyed I don't even realize what I'm saying.

"Well, I've never heard you complain before!" Nick argues back. I plug in the waffle maker so it can heat up before turning around to face him.

"Well, I'm telling you now," my hormones get the best of me and a single tear runs down my face, "Would you even still be with me if we weren't having sex?"

Nick freezes suddenly and looks at me. He slowly takes a step closer to me.

"Mi, you know that's ridiculous," he says.

"Is it?" More tears fall. God, sometimes I hate being a girl. If it was any other time of the month, I would not be acting like this or crying.

"Come on, Mi..." he pleads and I turn around and continue to mix together ingredients for the waffles. He sighs from behind me and I'm waiting for him to do or say something else. I count to ten, but still nothing has happened.

"I'm going to go start unpacking things in the guestroom," he says finally, "When you're ready to tell me what's up, I'll be there."

I hear his footsteps slowly move away from me and I sniffle. How is it that I always manage to mess things up? I hate when I overreact, but I just can't help it sometimes.

By the time I've finished making the waffles I've calmed down a little bit. I walk over to the guest room and knock softly even though the door is open.

"Yeah?" Nick asks, not stopping what he's doing. The room is filled with clothing racks that are half filled with his clothing. He's putting mine on hangers and filling the empty racks with them.

"Waffles are done," I say quietly and he looks up at me.

"Thanks," he says and our eyes meet. I try and beam an apology to him and I think he sees it. When he walks past me, he grabs me into a one arm hug and leaves a kiss on my forehead. I watch his retreating figure as he goes to the kitchen. How am I going to fix this?

Later that night after everything is put away and the empty boxes have been put in the recycling bins downstairs, Nick and I are still in an awkward post-fight stage. I worked in the bedroom all day while he worked in the guest room. We had and awkwardly silent dinner in front of the TV and now we're about to go to sleep.

I've just exited the bathroom and as soon as I do, Nick heads in there. I hear the water go on and the soft scrape of a toothbrush against teeth. I go to my side of the bed and pull the covers down before climbing in. The water shuts off and the door opens. I look up to see Nick with something in his hands which he tosses on the bed in front of me.

"So would this explain your little outburst this morning?" he asks. I look down and realize it's my box of Tampax. I blush when I realize I must have forgotten to put it away. Great. This shouldn't be awkward or anything. I nod slightly because I'm too embarrassed to say anything.

"You know, I'm not stupid, Miley," he says gently, climbing into bed next to me, "I may have grown up with all brothers, and I may not know all the details, but I can try and understand. I can't do it if you don't let me though."

Leave it to Nick to be an absolute sweetheart when I've been a moody mess. Typical Nick. Typical me. But maybe that's why we're so perfect. I wonder why I'm always scared to tell him things when he always knows how to make me feel better about them.

"Okay," I agree before putting the box on the bedside table and moving closer to Nick, "I'm sorry. I don't know why I get so weird about telling you things sometimes. I guess I'm just scared you're going to be freaked out or something."

"But I'm still here aren't I?" he asks with a playful grin, "You haven't managed to scare me off yet."

"Jerk," I mutter as he wraps an arm around me.

"Seriously though," Nick says, "We live together now. You have to know that you can trust me with anything, okay?"

"Mmhmm," I agree before leaning up to kiss him. He shifts to get a better angle and brings one hand behind my neck rubbing it gently. It feels amazing. I bit his lip gently and he opens his mouth so I can slide my tongue in. I've missed this. I grip the collar of Nick's t-shirt with both my hands and pull him closer. But just as it gets more heated Nick pulls away.

"Easy there, tiger," he jokes, "Don't start something you can't finish." He's half-kidding, half-serious, but I instantly feel guilty.

"Sorry," I snuggle into his chest, "And sorry about before. I hate being weird around you. I know that you'll always understand me... I just... forget sometimes."

"Well, I'm going to spend the rest of my life reminding you," he replies cutely before reaching over to turn off the lamp on his bedside table. The room is bathed in darkness now. I love when he talks about the future so openly like that. Our future. Together. I smile into his chest and he tightens his grip around my waist.

"I love you," he murmurs softly, "Good night."

"I love you, too," I say faintly before getting lost in his scent and falling asleep.


	26. Chapter 26

"What are you getting Nick for Christmas?" Demi asks me. We're both sprawled out on her bed, flipping through magazines while just chatting and hanging out. Actually, we're supposed to be getting ready for the record label's Christmas party, but the hairdresser and makeup artist aren't here yet. So for now we're just chilling.

I frown. I have no idea what to get him. He basically has anything he could want and if he doesn't he goes and buys it. And I know if I ask him he'll play the 'oh you don't have to get me anything' card. So annoying.

"I have no idea," I groan and turn to look at her, "what are you getting for Joe?"

"It's hardly the same thing Miley," Demi laughs, "you and Nick have been dating for ages."

"Does that mean you and Joe are dating too?" I ask slyly. Honestly those two are the most secretive people ever. Neither of them is willing to give up anything about their relationship even though it's pretty obvious there's something there.

"Nope... But he did kiss me last night after we went out for dinner."

"Oh my God! And you're just telling me this now?" I squeal. She blushes furiously, which is definitely not normal Demi behavior.

"You loooove him!" I tease while she buries her face in the sheets, "I knew it!"

"Shut up," she glares at me and the doorbell rings.

Must be the hair and makeup people. Demi runs to get it while I stand up and brush  
myself off. The hairdresser, David, starts plugging in curlers and taking out styling products while the makeup artist, Michelle, organizes her stuff on top of Demi's dresser. It's like getting ready with your best friend: celebrity style.

Demi chooses to have her dark hair in big loose curls while I get my makeup done in natural colors. We chat about this and that the whole time and just generally have fun. After my makeup is done we both switch places so that David can do my hair.

I decide to have it in tight curls that are pinned to one side since my dress is one shouldered. Demi finishes up with her make up and then goes into her closet. She emerges seconds later in a strapless creme dress with a short bubble hem. The bodice is full of huge gold toned jewels that match her eyeshadow almost perfectly. Lastly she has on brown heels with the same jewels adorning them. She looks absolutely fabulous.

"Demi!" I squeal, "you look amazing!"

"Thanks," she says giving a little twirl. The dress is perfectly tailored to her figure and I'm laughing picturing what Joe's reaction is going to be because she's looking hot.

Once my hair is finished, I too go into the closet where my dress is hanging up. It's emerald green with a woven bodice and a tulip hem that's knee length at the longest part. The right shoulder is embellished with flowers made of the same material as the dress. The whole dress is form fitting and a little hard to sit in but I'll manage. My four inch peep-toe stilettos are the same color as the dress with the same flower as the strap on the toes. I look at myself in the mirror and smile. Then I walk out into the room. Everyone is waiting for me to come in so I jokingly do a model walk.

But I don't hear any laughter especially from Demi, the queen of giggles. I instantly worry that something's wrong and I look down to try and figure it out. Maybe the dress is too tight? I should have gone a size larger, I knew it...

"Oh. My. God." Demi finally says slowly, "Are you trying to kill Nick? Or every other guy in the room for that matter?"

I wrinkle my nose in confusion what is she-

"Because he is literally going to have a heart attack when he sees you," she interrupts my thoughts. David and Michelle nod in agreement.

"You look stunning, Miley," Demi gushes, rushing over to give me a hug. I hug her back while blushing.

Once she lets go, Demi glances at the clock next to her bed.

"Joe and Nick should be here about... Now," she declares as the door bell for her apartment rings. Demi goes to get the door while I tip David and Michelle and then grab my white clutch. I exit Demi's bedroom and let them out before wandering into the kitchen where everyone is.

"Mi-" Nick starts before turning around to face me, but the second he sees me his jaw drops, "Wow," is all he manages to get out.

He's looking pretty "wow" himself in his Armani tux with bow tie that's the same color as my dress. We thought the matching vest would be a little too much but the bow tie is just right. Demi tugs on Joe's hand and they both discreetly leave.

"You look nice," I tell him with a smile before moving closer so I can wrap my arms around him.

"You look more than nice. You looking beautiful, stunning, jaw-droppingly gorgeous. You look like-"

"I get the picture," I say cutting him off before I can blush anymore. He leans down and gives me a peck on the lips.

"Are you ready to go?" he asks me once we realize that Demi and Joe have already decided to head downstairs to the limo that's waiting outside.

I grab his face and press a hard kiss on his lips before pulling away.

"Okay, now I'm ready," I say smirking and turning around. I pull him out Demi's door and into the elevator where he promptly grabs me and kisses my lips. Then he trails kisses down my jaw to my exposed collarbone. I pull at his curls gently while he continues to leave kisses and my eyes fall closed.

"Ew! Get a room!" I hear Joe yell while Demi giggles in the background. Apparently we didn't notice the elevator open. I open my eyes and see Nick giving Joe the finger without leaving my skin. He nips my skin lightly before pulling away and admiring his work.

"Nick!" I cry and smack his chest. I can already feel a mark forming on my skin. He smiles looking oh-so-pleased with himself. I storm angrily into the limo and the rest of them follow me. I open my purse to pull out a compact mirror and examine my collarbone. A red mark is already forming.

"It's not _that _bad," Demi offers, but I silence her with a glare. I grab a piece of ice from the champagne bucket and try to bring down the swelling. Silently, Demi hands me over her cover up that she has stashed in her own bag and after drying my skin off I put some of it on.

"It looks fine," Joe tries and I just shake my head. I use some of my own facial powder to try and blend it in, but I still think it's pretty obvious. But maybe that's just because I know its there.

"I'm sorry," Nick apologizes, handing me a glass of champagne. Demi and Joe quickly avert their eyes and start their own conversation, but I know they're listening anyway. I take the champagne from his hand and throw it back, swallowing almost all of it in one gulp.

"You're going to be sorry," I say outloud and then whisper in his ear, "When you see the mark I'm going to leave on you tonight. Say hello to turtlenecks and scarves."

Nick gulps and I slide my hand into his while smirking. After a few minutes we pull up to the location of the party and the valet opens the door for us. Luckily, it's not a red carpet event so we don't have to pose for pictures or anything.

The ball room is decorated in rich reds and golds with green accents and it's filled with producers, artists, managers, and everyone else who works at the label. In other words, it's HUGE. Nick wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me close to his side.

"Don't leave me. I promise it will be over soon," he whispers in my ear and I look at him confused. All of the sudden a swarm of people come up to him and it doesn't seem like it will ever stop. Nick and I are forced to make small talk with what feels like hundreds of people. God, is there anyone who doesn't want to talk to him? I mean, I knew he was popular, but this is just exhausting.

I suddenly realize that if I'm going to spend the rest of my life with Nick, this is what it's going to be like. The attention all the time and having to share Nick at events like this.

But surprisingly, that doesn't scare me. Not when Nick turns to me every once in a while and rolls his eyes slightly and shakes his head, letting me know that he's just as bored as I am. Or when he squeezes my waist slightly every once and a while and then gives me one of his secret smiles. Or best of all, when he introduces me to people as his girlfriend. I love just hearing those words roll off his tongue so easily. _This is Miley Stewart, my girlfriend. _I swear I smile every time I hear it.

But finally after what feels like hours (but was probably only a little over an hour), Nick and I can finally sit down and get something to eat.

"I'm sorry," he apologizes immediately once we're away from all the people, "That was awful, wasn't it? I hate all that small talk stuff, but it comes with the territory."

I giggle at him, "It's fine," I assure him, "I just like being with you," I grab his hand and squeeze it gently.

Nick and I are enjoying ourselves when the last person I want to see sashays herself up to Nick. Mikayla. Her dress (if you could call it that) is definitely too tight, too short, and too lowcut for the occasion. She looks like she belongs at a club, not a company business party.

She walks up so that she's between me and Nick in a pathetic attempt to block me out. Maybe because my CD outsold hers last week. Ha.

"Hey Nick," she says in an outrageously flirty voice, "I was just wondering if you wanted to escort me on the dance floor."

What the hell. That bitch did not just try to steal my man away from me. And the worst part is I know that Nick is too nice to say-

"No thanks," Nick says, completely surprising me, "I just asked Miley to dance with me actually. But if you can find a partner you're welcome to join us on the floor."

I give Nick a look and he smiles at me discreetly. Mikayla looks like she's in shock as well. Everyone knows that the Jonas Brothers are famous for being polite. Not that what Nick did was exactly impolite, but I still think she's shocked he said no.

"So how about that dance?" Nick says to me, standing up and offering me his hand. I can't even answer I'm so shocked so I just take his hand and let him lead me to the dance floor.

I turn around to look back at Mikayla who is just standing there looking a little pathetic. If it wasn't my man she was trying to flirt with, I might feel bad for her. Well, maybe. After all it is still Mikayla.

"You're so mean Nick!" I cry even though I'm secretly pleased he rejected her. He pulls me close by the waist and I rest my hands on his shoulders.

"Please, I know you. You're actually happy."

Damn him for knowing me so well.

"But I didn't want to dance with her anyway so thank you for saving me," he leans in and pecks me on the lips so quickly that I almost miss it. But we're in public and that's the only thing that's appropriate.

"When can we go home?" I ask half-joking and half-serious. We've actually been there like three hours so that's enough right?

"Is someone eager to get back to the bedroom?" Nick smirks as he guides me around the dance floor slowly.

"I haven't forgotten what you did in the elevator," I inform him, "and I'm waiting for my revenge."

"Oh so that's it," Nick laughs, "well I, for one, am very interested in what you could possibly have under a dress like that," he says in a low voice. Shivers run down my spine as his words reach my ear. God, he is sexy.

"Or if there's anything at all," I add cheekily just so Nick doesn't think he has the upper hand on me.

He groans, "Okay we're leaving. Just let me go say good bye to some people."

"What about Joe and Demi?" I ask turning my gaze to them making fools out of themselves on the dance floor. They are so weird. Did I just see Joe do the funky chicken? What the- okay whatever. They're both weird. And Demi just started doing the sprinkler. They're grossly perfect for each other.

"The record label has a bunch of town cars, you know, in case anyone hits the booze a little too hard. They can get a ride home in one of them."

I agree and Nick and I start making our good bye rounds. Luckily they're a lot faster than the hellos and soon enough Nick is calling the limo driver so we can leave.

Once we get inside I take off my heels, those shoes were no joke, and Nick unties his bow tie. He wraps an arm around me and I rest my head on his chest. These parties are fun and glamorous and everything but what I really look forward to is going home with Nick after.

"You look so pretty right now," Nick says, placing a kiss on the top of my head.

"Yeah? Well you look hot right now," I purr sliding one hand under his jacket. I can feel the muscles on his stomach twitch at the contact. Can't this limo go any faster?

A soft groan escapes his lips and I know he's thinking the same thing as me.

"So," Nick says in an attempt to relieve the sexual tension, "I talked to my mom today and she wants to know what we're doing for Christmas..."

"Oh, so what do you want to do?"

"Spend it with you," Nick says sweetly, "Whatever you want to do, we'll do it."

"Mmm," I think about it for a second, "I wanna go to Tennessee to be with my family..."

"Then we'll go to Tennessee," Nick says, but I can hear the disappointment in his voice. This is why he shouldn't interrupt me.

"But I wanna go to Texas too," I finish. And then though I can barely see his face from this angle I know he's smiling.

"Yeah?" he asks happily.

"Of course, I love your family," I let him know. I really do. It's been way too long since I've seen Denise and everyone.

"Good, 'cause they love you too. Just like I do."

"You're cheesy," I say trying not to blush.

"You love it," he counters.

"True," I snuggle even closer to him, "So maybe we can fly out to Tennessee a few days before Christmas, stay for Christmas morning and then head to Texas? Maybe stay there for a few days?"

"I like that idea... You're smart," he compliments me.

"I know," I joke back and Nick laughs.

"Mr. Jonas and Miss Stewart," the chauffeur calls back to us, "We're approaching your building in a few minutes."

"Thank God," I sigh and a yawn escapes my lips.

"You tired?" Nick asks me as the limo stops.

"Nice try... but I'm still gonna make you regret giving me that hickey," I warn him as the limo driver helps me out of the car.

"You can't even see it anymore!" Nick protests. I think he finally realizes that I am not going to go easy on him.

"Not the point," I sing-song as I walk/dance to the building. Nick Jonas has no idea what he's in for...

A week and a half later, we're pulling up in front of my Mamaw's house in good ole Tennessee. Nick's driving the rental car and he parks right next to my Dad's old truck in the front yard.

Before getting out, Nick opens the mirror and looks at himself.

"Are you sure it looks okay?" he says nervously, referring to the hickey that I gave him over a week ago. The barest trace of a bruise is still left just underneath his jaw and I laugh silently to myself. Boy did I do a number on him. Today is the first day he didn't have to wear a turtleneck or a scarf. Luckily for him though, it had been a little chilly in LA lately, so he didn't look completely ridiculous.

"It's fine," I assure him. And let me tell you, he is _looking_ fine in a blue striped button down shirt under a dark grey cashmere v-neck sweater. And wow, was that cashmere nice to lean against on the flight over in Nick's private jet. And let's not forget the dark, perfectly ironed, jeans that fit him perfectly.

"You ready?" I ask and he nods. I lean over and give him a peck on the cheek before we get out of the car. Nick goes to the trunk to get our things and my Mamaw steps out on to the front porch.

"Miley," she calls in her southern accent, "Is that really you?"

"Mamaw!" I cry and run up the steps to give her a huge hug. No matter how old she gets she always seems to give the tightest and best hugs ever.

"How are you?" I ask when she finally releases me.

"You know, hanging in there," she replies in a good-nature way. Nick comes up the front porch with both of our suitcases in his hands, "You must be Nick," she smiles.

"And you must be Mamaw," Nick says with a smile too. He puts the bags down and reaches his hand out. But just like his mom did to me, Mamaw engulfs him in a huge hug. He looks startled and throws me a panicked look and I laugh. Then he awkwardly hugs her back.

"I like you," she proclaims and Nick looks relieved. He knows how much my grandmother means to me, especially because I didn't have my own mom for most of my life.

"That's good," I joke, "Because it would be pretty hard to find a new grandmother."

Mamaw lets out her loud laugh, the one that I've inherited and Nick chuckles nervously as I wrap an arm around him. I let go so Nick can grab our bags and I don't argue only because I kind of like it when my family sees that he's such a gentleman.

My dad walks out of the kitchen and engulfs me in a huge hug. You know, the kind that only a daddy can give his daughter. After he gives me a hug he gives Nick a firm handshake. Then there's a clatter of footsteps on the stairs and I see my brother and his wife. Yep, who would have thought my brother would ever get married or even find a girlfriend? But he eventually did mature and learn some hygiene and managed to marry a pretty blonde girl named Nicole. She's nice enough and she's good to my brother.

"Hey Miles," Jackson gives me a hug, "How have you been?"

"Good, you?" I ask as I go to give Nicole a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Good," he says and then his eyes travel to Nick. Nick stands up a little straighter. Despite what I told him about my brother and I, he still seems to think that Jackson is going to beat him up or something just because he's my older brother.

"This is my boyfriend, Nick," I introduce him, "Nick, this is my brother Jackson and his wife, Nicole."

Jackson takes a hard look at Nick and I can see Nick take a huge gulp. Then Jackson breaks out into a huge smile and reaches out his hand.

"Nice to meet you man," he says, "Miley hasn't been too annoying has she?"

Nick laughs in relief, "Nope, not _too _annoying. Just her usual self."

I throw him a playful glare while everyone chuckles. Laughing at my expense, real cool family, real cool.

"Well if you can handle her, you can keep her," Jackson jokes and every one laughs again.

"It's a deal," Nick wraps an arm around me and pulls me close to his side to let me know that he's just kidding at he really doesn't find me annoying. Or at least that he loves my annoying-ness. Which I already knew, but it's still a nice gesture.

"So, why don't you and Nick go up to your room and then we can all have a glass of sweet tea and chat, alright?" Mamaw says. That's right. My dad is actually letting Nick and I stay in the same room. After all, we do live together so he needs to accept the fact that we're in an intimate relationship.

Nick and I go up to the room I always stay in. The one that used to be my mother's. The wallpaper is still the same one that she picked out and the only difference now is that there's a double bed in there now for Nick and I. Nick puts our stuff down at the bottom of the bed.

"Your family seems nice," Nick says while I look around the old room. I go right for the vanity where the picture of my mom and I sits. Picking it up, I touch my mom's face and smile. It's a ritual that I do every time I visit Tennessee.

Suddenly, I feel arms around my waist and a chin on my shoulder.

"Is that your mom?" Nick asks quietly. I nod slowly, I realize that this is probably the first time Nick has seen a picture of her. We don't really have that many, she was the photographer most of the time, so there aren't a lot around the house. I have one somewhere, but I don't need a physical picture of her to remember her.

"She's beautiful," Nick whispers and I smile because I know it's true, "You have her smile."

My heart warms at the comparison. I know that my mom was one heck of a lady and being compared to her makes me feel really special.

"And you have her eyes..." Nick continues, taking one hand of my waist and touching the picture just like I did. I turn to look at him curiously. We don't have the same eyes at all, hers were brown and mine are blue. "You two both have the same spark there," he continues still looking at the picture. Then he looks into my eyes, "Yeah. That spark."

"Nick," I say with tears welling up in my eyes and he just shrugs a little, "That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me." I put the picture down and turn around to face him.

"Well, it's true," Nick says trying to blow it off as nothing. But it is something. It means so much to me that he would notice something like that and say it to me.

"You're perfect," I say softly before kissing him gently on the lips. He moves his against mine for a while before pulling away.

"No, you."

I roll my eyes, not wanting to play that game. You know, the one where we argue who's better. Because I know it's him.

"Yeah, whatever, let's go downstairs," I say and he grins before grabbing my hand and leading me out the door.

The next morning I wake up to the smell of pine and that muffled sound that only comes when there's... SNOW.

I rush to the window, not caring how cold it is in the house and I see a thin layer of snow on the ground and the flakes are still falling.

"Nick!" I cry happily, turning around to wake him up. It's only then that I realize he's not there, but in his place there's a note.

_Mi- Going out with your dad and brother to cut down a Christmas tree. I'll see you when you wake up, beautiful. Love, Nick  
_

So that explains the pine needle smell. I look at the clock and realized I slept in until almost ten. Wow. After getting dressed in jeans and a white v-neck sweater with a lacy camisole underneath, I go downstairs to the kitchen. The sight I see once I get there makes me burst into laughter. My dad and Nick, both wearing matching pink aprons with white lace (that belong to my Mamaw) are cooking breakfast together while singing along to a Johnny Cash song.

Both of them stop singing when they hear my laughter and they both turn the same shade of red. But I can't stop laughing. Oh God, where is a camera when you need one?

"Oh my, God," I say wiping tears from my eyes, "That was priceless."

"Mornin' darlin'" Dad says as he wraps in a hug and then goes back to flipping pancakes.

"Good morning, Mr. Cash," I joke and Nick turns an even deeper shade of red. But it really was cute. Although completely unexpected. I lean in to give him a good morning kiss which he returns.

"You're relieved from kitchen duty, Nick," my dad calls, "Go take Miley to see the beautiful tree we got!"

The tree is beautiful. Full and green and with a wonderful scent. Luckily, they got it before the snow started too badly so it's not wet or anything. Jackson and Nicole and untangling colorful Christmas lights in the corner while Mamaw sorts though all the ornaments. Some of them are even older than she is, passed down from her mother and so on. But they're all beautiful.

"I picked it out," Nick says proudly from my side.

"It's beautiful," I say letting the Christmas magic wrap itself around me and put me in good spirits. I can't believe it's Christmas Eve already.

Jackson and Nicole start putting the lights on while Nick and I help Mamaw go through the boxes and boxes of ornaments. There's no possible way they could all fit so we have to choose our favorites. Soon dad calls us for breakfast and we all scramble to the table to eat. After saying grace, Nick's hand lingers in mine for a second longer and he gives me a little squeeze.

After breakfast and cleaning up, we all head back into the living room to decorate the tree. It becomes a blast from the past as we all have stories about the different ornaments and different Christmases. Nick listens carefully and laughs at the right parts. Nicole has heard some of the stories but others are new to her. I love tradition and being with my family, but with Nick here it just seems even better. I love how easily he fits into my family and vice versa. I think it really says a lot about how perfect we are for each other.

After a lot more stories, more firewood, more hot cocoa, and a huge dinner, my dad and Mamaw head up for bed while the rest of us stay up. There's no DVD player or anything, but one of the local T.V. channels is playing the old black and white classic, It's A Wonderful Life.

Nick is at one end of the couch with my head in his lap and a blanket over my body. Jackson and his wife are cuddled up on the other couch. The lights are out except for the tree and the slowly dying fire. The snow is piled up on the windows. Everything is perfect. I couldn't have made it better myself.

After the movie, Jackson and Nicole head up for bed. It's almost midnight now. Nick and I should really get to sleep too because we'll have to wake up early tomorrow to open presents and then catch our flight to Dallas. But I'm so comfortable and warm that it's hard to move.

"Merry Christmas, Mi," Nick says suddenly and leans down to place a delicate kiss on my lips. I reach for his neck pulling me closer to him so I can deepen it. His tongue slides into my mouth and somehow he moves us so that we're both flat on the couch, him on his back and me on top of him. My hands travel under his sweater and across his abs. I pull away from him for a second and hover over him with a smirk on my face.

"What?" he says smiling up at me. Wordlessly, I take the bottom of my sweater in my hands and pull it over my head. Underneath is the red lacy bra that Nick found when I was moving it. I still haven't put it on for him. Well, until now.

"Merry Christmas, Nick," I say smiling at his wide-eyed expression and the way his mouth dropped open a little wider. Then I lean down and kiss him again. His fingers land on the button of my jeans and he's about to open them when we hear footsteps on the stairs. Nick looks at me in panic.

I quickly stuff my sweater underneath the cushion (there's no time to put it on) and throw the blanket over Nick and I. I adjust myself so that I'm next to him instead of on top of him.

"Pretend you're asleep," I hiss and shut my own eyes. Whoever it is goes over to the T.V. and shuts it off and closes the fireplaces. I open my eyes slightly to see my dad. He turns around and I quickly shut my eyes.

He mutters something that sounds strangely like "cute" and then leaves. After counting to 20, I breath out a sigh of relief. Nick chuckles quietly behind me and I turn around to face him.

"That was close," I giggle back, touching his face gently, "So, ready to head up stairs and finish this?"

Nick nods and then scoops me up, blanket and all. Then he leans down and grabs my sweater before bringing me over to the staircase.

"Put me down!" I protest quietly, but Nick just shakes his head and tightens his grip around me. Normally I'd fight him, but I'd rather not fall down the stairs and have a nice broken leg for Christmas.

Once we get to our bedroom he lays me down gently and covers my lips with his. He unwraps the blanket from around me and kisses slowly down my body. I watch him as he slowly unbuttons my jeans and slides them off my hips so I can kick them off.

He pauses for a second, just to stare at me in my lingerie. His face breaks out into a smile and I let out a small breath of air. Not that he hasn't seen me naked before, but I was a little nervous about putting this stuff on for him.

"Merry Christmas," I whisper again.

"Merry Christmas," he murmurs back.

I pull his own sweater over his head a toss it aside, not caring where it lands. His pants and boxers follow shortly and taking one last glance, Nick slides off my panties. Our legs intertwine and he pushes into me slowly. My nails run up and down his back, making it arch slightly and I smile to myself, loving the reaction. His fingers dance along my ribcage, tickling me slightly, until they reach behind my back to unhook my bra. Our mouths connect over and over in a series of furious kisses as he pulls the material off of me and replaces it with his hands.

"I love you," he says softly, pulling away just a second to look me in the eyes. I don't have time to respond before he leans in and brings me into a passionate kiss.

As it gets later and we both tire out from showing our love, I'm thinking this is already the best Christmas ever.


	27. Chapter 27

Nick and I are quiet on the jet as it ascends into the air. Our fingers are intertwined but there's no need for words as we watch my home state grow smaller and small through the window.

We decided to exchange gifts on the hour and 45 minute flight to Dallas so that we could have some privacy. To be honest I'm kind of nervous for this exchanging of gifts thing. I have no idea if Nick will like his gift and I also don't know what he got me. Part of me, okay, a lot of me, is hoping for that ring. I know it's stupid and that's probably not my gift, but I can't help but hope for it. I really do want to spend the rest of my life with him and he's made it clear that he does too. I know whatever he gets me though will be wonderful.

The captain announces that we can now take off our seat belts and move around if we please. Nick's jet (which he technically shares with his brothers) is pretty spacious and is set up somewhat like a living room with couches and a TV. In the back there's even a mini bar and a bathroom. Classy.

"Ready for your present?" Nick asks with a grin as he takes off his seatbelt and goes to get it from his bag.

"No, you first," I insist. You know, that way my lame gift won't be the awkward follow up to whatever he has gotten me. He looks at me amused, but agrees.

I pull the small wrapped box out of my bag and hand it to him. He takes it and carefully peels off the paper while I hold my breath. I don't know if he's going to like it or not. I mean, I saw him looking at it, but maybe he was thinking about how ugly it was or something.

He finally gets the paper off and opens the box. He's silent as he stares at it. I knew it. He hates it.

Last month we were in New York for an event and we stopped by Tiffany & Co. While I was admiring a diamond bracelet, I noticed Nick looking at a watch in the men's section. He asked the person working there to take it out, but he didn't buy it. I thought maybe he wanted it but I guess not.

"You hate it," I say sadly to break the silence, "it's okay, you can return-"

"Miley," Nick interrupts in a strained voice I've never heard him use before, "I love it. It's beautiful, but it's too much, Mi."

I don't get it. I look at him and he continues.

"Mi, this watch costs over 5,000 dollars. That's way too much for you to spend on me."

Considering how much he spends on me, taking me out all the time and refusing to let me pay for everything, that is kind of hypocritical. And with all the money from Hannah and my new album, I can afford to splurge on him at least once.

"You deserve it, Nick," I say softly, reaching over to touch his leg, "you're so wonderful... To me, to your family, to your fans. You're so giving and you deserve to be spoiled for once."

Maybe it's my imagination but it seems like tears are welling up in his eyes. Oh please don't cry. Because then I'll start crying and it will just be one big mess.

He doesn't though. Instead he looks at the watch one last time.

"Thank you, I love it," he says quietly. He takes it out of the box and fastens it around his wrist. Then he leans over to give me a kiss on the lips. His lips linger there a little longer than a peck, but I'm not complaining.

"Now mine!" I demand. Now that I know he likes his gift I'm in a much better mood. He chuckles and shakes his head but obliges and pulls the small package out of his bags and hands it to me. I carefully untie the ribbon and pull of the paper.

I'm pleasantly surprised by the blue box and I laugh. Nick and I would get our presents from the same place. I open it up and stare at it in shock. It's beautiful. The diamonds shine and sparkle in their platinum setting. I hesitantly reach out and touch it. It feels unreal. No way is Miley Stewart from Tennessee getting something this nice.

He must have seen the amazed look on my face because he smiles proudly.

"I saw you looking at something when we were in Tiffany's so I went back later to ask the saleswoman what it was. Do you like it?"

"I love it," I stutter out. Nick can't be serious. It must be a knock off or something, but the signature blue box and certificate of authenticity say otherwise. This bracelet cost over twice as much as his gift. Hypocrite.

"Nick, I can't take this. It's way too much," I hand the box back to him, but he won't take it, "Come on, Nick. I don't need this."

"But you want it," Nick counters. And maybe that's true. Maybe I imagined for a second that I might wear it but the second I saw the price tag I stopped thinking about it. But it's so beautiful. And it's not even that outrageous looking, I could actually pull it off with an everyday outfit...

"Please take it," Nick begs, lifting it out of the box and grabbing my wrist. I watch as he clasps the delicate band and it looks so nice. But I really, really shouldn't. It's seriously too much.

"No, Nick," I insist, and I fumble with the clasp to get it off. Nick touches my hand to stop me.

"Miley, if you give it back, I'm giving mine back too," Nick says sternly and I know he's not kidding.

"Nick that's not- yours was more expensive than mine," I protest.

"I don't care," Nick says with a smirk because he knows he's won. Fine. But next year we're putting a limit on how much money we're going to spend on each other.

"Fine," I say dramatically and cross my arms.

"Good," Nick smiles, "now say thank you and give me a kiss."

I roll my eyes, "Thank you, Nick," I exaggerate and give him a peck on the cheek.

"You call that a thank you kiss?" Nick pouts. I laugh at him and cup his face between my hands so that he can't move his head.

"Thank you, Nicholas," I say softly before leaning in and pressing my lips against his. His eyes flutter close and He tries to move his head to deepen it but I don't let him. In my own time, I turn my head and slide one hand in his hair and the other behind his neck. His hands find my waist and shift me closer to him. I pull away slowly, keeping my lips parted and eyes closed. Nick lets a small sigh escape his lips and I open my eyes slowly to see him smiling.

"Now, that's a thank you kiss," he says, leaning in for another one.

Due to the short flight and the time difference, it's around noon when we arrive at Nick's parents' house. Nick opens the door right away and goes in. Christmas music plays quietly in the background but you can barely hear it over the laughter coming from the family room.

Nick leaves our bags at the bottom of the stairs and then we both go into the family room.

"Merry Christmas!" Nick calls out and his family turns to look at us.

"Nick! Miley!" Denise cries happily, "Merry Christmas!" she gives both of us a hug. Mr. Jonas also comes over to greet us. Then Kevin comes over and gives me a hug and a kiss on the cheek with Danielle behind him. Joe and Frankie are playing some video game that I assume was a Christmas gift, but they both throw a wave our way.

"Sit down, sit down," Denise insists, gesturing to the couch, "Eat something, there's lots of food," she gestures to the food on the table, "Make yourself at home, Miley."

Nick throws himself down on the couch and when I walk by he grabs me by the waist and pulls me down half on top of him.

"Oof," I say as I hit the couch. Nick wraps his arm around me and I cuddle into him. Normally PDA in front of family makes me pretty uncomfortable but with Nick's family it seems abnormal not to. Denise and Paul are sitting together comfortably with his arm around her shoulders. Kevin and Danielle are holding hands while feeding each other crackers with cheese on them. Demi is showing up later to see Joe so I'm sure they'll be all over each other too.

"Nick, there's something for you and Miley under the tree," Denise said with a smile, "The ones in the green paper with the gold ribbons."

Nick gets up to get the gifts and checks the tags. He hands me one and takes the other. Nick opens his first and it had two new shirts in it. Nick thanks his mom and I open my box.

"I don't know if they're the right size, but the gift receipt's in there. Nick told me how much you enjoy his, so..."

Her voice trails off as I take out the two butter soft cashmere sweaters. They're so nice. I can't believe it. I just want to rub my face against them, but I resist.

"Thank you, I love them," I say with a smile, rubbing one between my thumb and forefinger. Denise looks really pleased as she says you're welcome. I can't believe how thoughtful she is. And how Nick must have told her how much I like his. Aw, he talks to his mom about me.

After we put our boxes down, Nick wraps his arm around my waist and let's his hand rest on my outer thigh. I love just cuddling with him. Denise flits in and out of the kitchen, but refuses to let me help her. Eventually Joe and Frankie get bored of the game they were playing and Frankie gets out his new guitar to show Nick. The whole thing is very laid back and casual and as always with Nick's family, I'm having a good time.

After a few hours of just enjoying each others' company the door rings and Joe jumps up to get it. There's a squeal and a giggle and then Joe comes in the room with Demi in his arms.

"Special delivery!" he cries and then drops Demi on top of Nick and me on the couch.

"Very special," Nick jokes and Demi glares at him and smacks his chest.

"Hi, Miley, Merry Christmas," she says with a grin, sitting up and squishing herself between Nick and I. She wraps her arms around me in a tight hug and I squeeze her back.

"Umm Demi, could you let go of my girlfriend?" Nick asks, but Demi just squeezes me harder.

"Nope."

Demi jumps suddenly.

"Nick!" she yells, "Not cool!" Nick pokes her sides and she screams before finally getting up, "using my weak spot against me. Not okay. Remember, I know your weak spot, too."

"I don't have weak spots," Nick says smugly, crossing his arms. Joe and I exchange a glance as they continue to duke it out. I wonder what Nick's weak spot is…

Demi lunges suddenly and grabs his knee squeezing it. Nick yelps and tries to get away from her but she grabs the other one. Oh, so that's it. He hates having his knees touched. I make a mental note to remember that. It could come in handy some day.

"Stop!" Nick says holding both of her wrists; she loses her balance and falls on top of him. Both of them burst into laughter and after a moment Joe and I join in. They are ridiculous. Like brother and sister.

Demi gets off Nick and brushes herself off as Denise walks back into the room with Kevin Sr. behind her.

"Yo, Mama J," Demi says, "Sup Papa J?"

The both chuckle and shake their heads and then go to greet her properly with a hug and a kiss.

"So, what time's dinner at?" Demi asks, rubbing her stomach.

Denise shakes her head again and Joe grins, wrapping an arm around her shoulder.

"See why I love her?" he says patting his own belly. Wow, he loves her. And it's been less than a week since they started dating. Although, they have known each other for a long time. Whatever.

"Dinner's ready now," Denise says, "I made way too much food so I hope you're all hungry."

"I am," Nick says getting up and reaching down to help me.

"Me too," I agree and Kevin and Danielle echo me. We all make our way to the dining room and sit down at the huge table.

Denise is positively beaming looking around at everyone at her table. You can tell that she's so happy to be entertaining so many people. The table is covered with delicious homemade food. Ham, Turkey, potatoes, casseroles and so much more. My mouth is watering already.

We all clasp hands so Kevin Sr. can say grace. Nick's on my left next to his dad at the head of the table and Danielle is on my right next to Kevin. Denise is at the opposite head between Frankie and Kevin while Joe and Demi are across from Nick and I.

"Lord, we thank You for this food and everything else You have provided for us. We are so grateful to be blessed by thy bounty on this beautiful day when your son, Jesus, was born. We thank You for the health of everyone at this table. Denise and I would also like to thank You for allowing our three oldest sons to find love with the beautiful ladies that grace our presence today. Amen."

"Amen," we all respond and Demi, Dani, and I all exchange small happy smiles. We all know that we have definitely hit the jackpot.

Nick puts his arm around me and pulls me close to him.

"I love you," he whispers, kissing my temple.

"You too," I murmur and then the food starts coming around and we all pile it onto our plates and dig in.

Later, we're all winding down eating and Joe taps his fork to his glass to get everyone's attention. It quiets down and everyone looks to him as he stands up.

"I wanted to do this with all of you guys here and I figured Christmas might be the only time that this happens," we laugh and he turns to Demi, "Demi, the first time I met you, you were giggling like crazy and laughed at everything I said…" he pauses, "…nothing has changed. You quickly became part of the family and everyone loves you. And then I fell in love with you. It took us a while to finally get together, but now that we are, I don't want to let you go. Demi... Will you marry me?"

Joe bends down on one knee and pulls out a ring. Demi gasps and brings her hands to her mouth. I can't believe it. I'm completely surprised. They've barely even started dating and he's already-

"Yes!" Demi interrupts my thoughts, "yes, yes, yes."

Happy tears roll down her face as Joe slides the ring on her finger. Then he stands up and pulls her to her feet and lays one passionate kiss on her lips.

I look around to see everyone's reaction but no one else looks surprised. Denise starts crying and Kevin wraps an arm around her and gives her a hug. Nick starts clapping and everyone joins in. I look at Nick and he smiles. I smile weakly back.

I know that a ring doesn't change anything. Nick loves me and I love him and being engaged doesn't make a difference. I wonder if I would even care about this if Nick hadn't bought a ring before. Maybe it's just anticipation or something. But every girl wants a ring on her finger, right? Especially once she's found the perfect person.

_Maybe Nick doesn't think you're the perfect person anymore_ that tiny voice in my head says. I shake my head at the thought. That's ridiculous. The fact that we're here with his family is proof. And his dad just made a speech about how we love each other. I push the thought away and focus back on the table. Everyone is finished eating and Denise gets up to start clearing the table.

"No, Denise," Danielle protests, "you've already done so much. Let Miley, Demi, and I take care of it," she says looking at both of us.

"Yeah," I add, "We'll do it. Take a break." Demi nods her head to show she agrees. Denise hesitates but agrees and we all start picking up plates and taking them into the kitchen.

Once all the things are in the kitchen, we start cleaning up while the boys start to watch some football game or something.

"Soo... Let me see the ring!" Danielle says to Demi. Demi holds her hand out and Danielle grabs it to examine the ring. It's very nice. One larger diamond flanked by two smaller ones with more diamonds all around the band.

"Wow," Danielle says, "Jonas men have good taste," she jokes holding up her hand with her ring on it. They both giggle. It's nice, I guess, but I kind of have that typical engagement ring ideal in my own head. You know, plain platinum band with a single diamond. But I'd be happy with anything truthfully.

They continue to chatter about the wedding while loading dishes into the dishwasher. I turn on the water and start washing the things that won't fit.

"What do you think, Miley?" Demi asked suddenly with a huge smile on her face.

"Sorry, I spaced out, what?"

"A princess dress, like Dani here, or something less traditional?" Demi asks.

"I can't really see you being a princess," I joke and Demi sticks her tongue out at me, "I feel like you would do something totally non-traditional."

"You're right," Demi says with a sigh, "I'm getting ahead of myself anyway. I still have to go home and tell my family. They're going to be so excited. I mean, it's kind of sudden and everything, but Joe and I, we've always had this thing... It was kind of inevitable."

Her love and pure joy are infectious and I reach out to give her a huge hug.

"I'm so happy for you and Joe," I say sincerely squeezing her tighter. Danielle 'aw's and hugs both of us too then smiles wickedly.

"So, Miley... When are you joining the family?" she asks with a wink.

"I don't know..." I say trying to sound nonchalant, but seriously I just want to change the subject.

"Soon, I bet," Demi says wrapping an arm around my waist, "Now let's finish cleaning up so I can go tell my mom I'm engaged!"

"I feel fat," I groan lying back on Nick's bed. I ate way too much. That second piece of pie for dessert was definitely a mistake. The button on my pants feels like it's going to pop off any second.

"You don't look fat," Nick says, laying down on his side next to me. He pushes my shirt up slightly and runs his fingers over my stomach.

"Don't," I moan, grabbing my stomach. I swear it feels bigger already. Ugh. Gross. "I can't move."

"You don't have to. I can do all the work," he whispers seductively and runs his hand up higher, bringing the shirt with him.

"Noo," I turn around to lie on my stomach, "I need to sleep it off." I close my eyes and hear him get off the bed and shuffle around. I open my eyes and see him in his pajamas.

"You gonna get changed, Mi?" he asks, folding his clothes up. I reply with a loud groan.

"Want me to help?" he asks opening my suitcase for me.

"I'm not having sex with you," I tell him bluntly.

"I know," he says grinning cheekily, "So don't you think I deserve something?"

I roll my eyes and get up to get my own pajamas. I stick my tongue put at him and change as quickly as possible. He pulls down the comforter and sheets and lays down to wait for me. I tie my hair up then join him and cuddle against his chest.

"Did you have a good Christmas?" Nick asks me, running his fingers through my hair.

"Mmhmm. Did you?"

"The best," he says and then gives me a kiss good night.

I can't help but agree with him. This was definitely the best Christmas ever.

After a few wonderful days in Texas with Nick and his family, New Year's Eve rolls around. Apparently, it's tradition for Nick's family to have a fairly large party and that's what I'm getting ready for right now.

Nick went downstairs to help get last minute things ready while I stayed upstairs to finished getting dressed. My hair is in big curls and my makeup is dramatic, but not too over the top. I'm wearing a short-sleeved silver sequin dress that ends just above the knee over black tights. I stand sideways and look at myself. All of this holiday eating is definitely starting to have an effect on me. When I get back to LA I'm definitely going to have to go to the gym.

There's a knock on the door and it opens. I'm expecting Nick, but instead Demi pops her head in.

"Oh!" she says surprised, "Sorry- wow, you look great, Miley."

"Thanks," I beam and then look at her outfit; Plain black strapless dress with sheer purple tights. Only Demi could pull of something like that. "You too"

"Did you need something?" I ask her walking over to the door. I'm ready to go down now.

"Oh, no," she laughs, "I was just looking for Nick, but I guess he's downstairs already?"

"Yup," I say and then link arms with her, "To the party, then?"

"Of course," she giggles and we both walk down the stairs. Nick and Joe both happen to be at the bottom talking to people who vaguely resemble them. Must be family. They both look up at the same time and the same smile adorns their faces. The only difference is where their eyes are. Joe's are on me and Nick's are on Demi. Just kidding, of course.

"Wow, you look beautiful," Nick murmurs into my ear and then turns me to face his guests. He quickly introduces us and then excuses us to go meet more people. The house is almost filled with guests. The middle floor is full of Nick's aunts and uncles and other older guests. Some of them are familiar famous faces, but most of them just seem like normal people who the family knows. I think it's so cool that they can have normal guests too. I lose track of all the people Nick introduces me to, but that's okay.

Once we've finished upstairs, Nick heads over to the basement door as he opens it music blares out and I recognize it's one of _my_ songs. Oh no. I am definitely not going down there until it's over.

Nick laughs and starts pulling me down the stairs.

"No, Nick," I hiss, but he continues to lead me and I don't want to fall, "Nick, this is so embarrassing."

He keeps laughing and I notice everyone's eyes turn to us as we descend into the room. Their basement, which they call "the lounge", has a pool table, a built in theater with tons of couches, and a bar. Throughout the room are what looks like Nick's cousins and other people who are around our age. Demi is talking animatedly with a group of people who I assume are their friends from Texas. I'm surprised they know so many "normal" people, but at the same time it's so like them to be this down to earth.

I'm introduced to more and more people and all of them seem excited to meet me which is still a strange experience when I'm not wearing a wig. It's exhausting, but fun to meet all of Nick's friends. There are a few jealous stares from girls, but honestly I get that all the time (not to sound conceited, Nick is amazing) so it's not that big of a deal.

"Miley!" Demi yells from the group of couches, "Come here, my friends want to meet you!"

Her friends blush and shake their heads. Trust Demi to embarrass them like that. But that's why we love them. I turn to Nick and he nods for me to go so I do.

The party reminds me of the ones I attended during college, although there's a lot less drinking going on. Demi's friends are funny and easy to get along with and even after she leaves, I stay chatting with some of them. They all want to know how Nick and I met and I'm happy to share (some of) the details. They all claim they have never seen him look this happy which is always nice to hear.

After an hour or so, though, I'm starting to miss Nick so I scan the room for him. I can't seem to find him. He's not playing pool with Joe and he's not by the bar mixing drinks. I wrinkle my nose. Where could he be?

Then warm hands cover my face.

"Guess who?" the familiar voice says and I smile.

"Nick," I turn around and face him, "Where were you?"

"My mom needed help with something," he explains, "Would you like to dance?"

Some of the guests have made the space in between the TV and the couches into a mini dance floor. I nod my head and Nick grabs my hand. He wraps his arms around me tightly from behind and pulls me close to him.

"I missed you," he says cutely.

"It was only like two hours, Nick," I tease even though I was feeling the same thing just a few moments ago.

"Doesn't matter," Nick replies and nuzzles his face against my neck while we both sway to the beat, "When you love someone as much as I love you, you miss them even when it's only for a few minutes."

Aw.

"That's sweet," I turn my head to look at him and it feels like it's just us on the dance floor.

Time flies when I'm wrapped up in his arms. I lose track of how many songs have played and I barely notice what song is even playing. Every once in a while he whispers sweet things into my ear like, "I love your smile" or "Your skin is perfect" or my personal favorite, "I love you."

Then suddenly Nick stops and pulls out his phone. He reads the message on it and smiles a little.

"Sorry, duty calls," he says waving his phone in the air, "I got to go, princess, but make sure you come find me before midnight, okay?"

It sucks, but what can I do about it? That's what happens when you throw a party at your house, you're constantly busy.

"Okay," I agree and Nick places a kiss on my lips before walking away. I watch him the whole time and as he starts to walk up the stairs he turns to face me and gives me a wink that makes my heart flutter.

Suddenly, I get exactly what he was saying about when you love someone you miss them even after a few minutes. It feels like he's taken my heart with him upstairs.

I wait for Nick downstairs, making polite conversation with people, but not committing to anything. A few times I get asked if I want to go eat, twice by Demi and once by Joe, but I just want to wait for Nick. But he's taking forever to come back. I sigh and look around at the people having fun. I could join them, but what would be the point? Then I might miss Nick. So instead I sit on the couch feeling like a wallflower while I wait for him to show up.

10 minutes to midnight and I need to find him. Where is that boy? He has been absent for most of the night. I have two glasses of champagne in my hands as I search the spacious house for Nick. I can't find him anywhere downstairs so I decide it's time to ask someone.

I walk up to a group of people I vaguely remember being introduced to. Cousins? On Denise's side? I think.

"Excuse me, have you guys seen Nick lately?"

They all stare at me surprised for a second until one of them speaks up, "I think I saw him head upstairs," she offers nervously. I flash my best smile and thank her before going upstairs. The first room I check is the music room. But he's not in there. However there is a white folder standing out on the black piano. Curiosity gets the best of me and I set the glasses down to look at it. I open in up and look at the papers confused. They seem like an itinerary of some sort.

After a few lines, I realize it's for a tour. Wait, a tour? Nick's going on a tour? And he didn't tell me? I'm confused. I try to remember if he ever mentioned a tour but I can't.

He's been lying to me. I take a sharp breath and rifle through the papers some more looking for more clues. Then another familiar name comes up. Demi Lovato. She's going to be there too? So they've both been lying.

Suddenly I remember when we were at the penthouse moving me in and their little exchange. And their interaction on Christmas. And how she was looking for him earlier. And how lately Nick has been getting a lot of text messages that make him smile...

My heart feels like it's about to stop. It's not hard to figure out what's going on here. They've been sending secret messages. They're going on tour together and didn't tell me. They're having an affair. God, it's so obvious. I should have known a guy like Nick wouldn't be able to get over the girl he lost his virginity too. And Demi is supposed to be engaged to Joe. What kind of game do they think they're playing?

Then I remember that I was going to look for Nick. I quickly drink down both glasses of champagne. Fuck it. I don't care if it's not midnight yet.

Wiping my mouth I leave the room and head for Nick's room. The countdown begins downstairs.

10... 9... 8

The door to his room is slightly ajar and I feel sick as I approach it. What do I do if I catch them together? Do I make a scene? Pretend I didn't see them? Approach them calmly?

7... 6... 5...

I'm almost there now. This is it. No chance to back out. What happens now is going to change everything. I can't believe Nick turned out to be that kind of guy. But I should have known he was too perfect.

4... 3... 2

Even though I knew it was coming it still surprise me when I peek in the door. Demi and Nick on the same bed that we first made love on. They're both sitting up but their faces are close as they whisper to each other. I close my eyes as they move closer for a kiss but I can still see them in my head

1.

Suddenly I'm feeling very dizzy. I can't handle this, I actually can't. My empty stomach and the alcohol aren't helping, but if I had eaten something I probably would be throwing it up at this sight. The hallway starts spinning and my knees give out. I feel myself falling but I can't stop it. My vision goes black as my head hits the door frame. The last thing I hear before blacking out completely are two simultaneous screams from the bedroom.

"Miley!"


	28. Chapter 28

**Special thanks to alwaysadreamer, lo_ashley, imagineyourlife, caseymasey1, nikiheartsniley and 1MileyRayCyrus1 on twitter for helping me out when I got a little stuck :) You should all go thank them!**

"When do you think she's gonna wake up?" Nick asks softly.

"I don't know... Soon, probably. She's probably exhausted, her body needs time to reboot."

I know that voice. It's her, the home wrecker. Seriously, she has the nerve to be here now?

I crack one eye open just a little and I see them both sitting on the couch together. That sight alone makes me want to throw up. I can actually feel my stomach clenching. And then I realize that she's fucking holding his hand. Seriously? In my hospital room? Doesn't she have any shame?

Although, I can't really blame Demi. After all, apparently Nick is very good at lying and making girls fall for him even though all he wants is to jerk them around and screw around behind their backs. No. It's not Demi's fault. It's the stupid asshole next to her.

Or maybe it's my fault. Maybe I'm not good enough for him. Maybe he doesn't really love me. But then why would he waste his time with me? I'm just too confused, too sad, and too angry to figure anything out.

"I'm gonna go find Joe," Demi says getting up, "Make sure he didn't get lost on this way back from the vending machine," she jokes. Nick doesn't laugh but instead just nods solemnly and then looks at me. I quickly shut my eye so he doesn't notice I'm awake.

When she's finally gone, I hear him get up off the couch and take a few steps forward. I can feel his presence right in front of me and it's hard to ignore the butterflies in my stomach. Why does he still have this affect on me?

"Mi," he murmurs softly and runs his hand though my hair. I try not to shiver at his touch, but it's so hard, especially when he uses my special nickname, "I know you need rest, baby, but I need you to wake up just so that I know you're okay."

And then the anger sets in again. He needs to know that I'm okay? Was he thinking about whether I'd be okay or not when I found out he was cheating on me? My eyes fly open and I swat his hand away.

"Miley!" he cries, "I'm sorry. Did I hurt you? I didn't mean to touch your bruise..."

Bruise? I sit up and touch my temple then wince in pain as I feel the tender wound. Ouch. How did I not notice that before? I also realize that I have an IV going into my hand. I feel faint just looking at it.

"You're awake," he says, sounding so happy... But I know it's a lie. His arms wrap around me, but I don't move. I don't sink into him but I don't pull away quite yet either. But then I imagine his arms around her this way and I start crying. They're not loud sobs just quiet tears that stream continuously down my face. It takes Nick a long time to realize that I'm crying, but he doesn't let go when he does.

"Baby, what's wrong? Shh, stop crying, Mi. Talk to me please," he begs. How dare him. I feel disgusting just having him touch me. I start trying to push him away from me, but he won't budge. If anything he holds me tighter.

"Let go," I demand, trying in vain to push him away from me.

"What? Miley, what's wrong?"

"I saw you," I cry, more tears spilling down my face and running down my chin and neck, "I saw you, I saw you, I saw you," I repeat, twisting and turning to get him off of me.

"You saw me what?" Nick asks with confusion in his voice. Yeah, okay, Nick play dumb. It's not going to change what I saw.

I continue shaking and crying and I feel his arms shift from around me to my shoulders.

"Miley, look at me," he orders, but I can't. I can't see his face because I know his warm brown eyes and his soft curls will make me go weak.

"No!" I say and close my eyes, causing more tears to spill out.

"Miley, I can't fix it until you tell me what's wrong!"

"I saw you kiss her!" I finally say. But it's more like a shriek; it literally tears at my vocal chords leaving my throat feeling raw and sore.

"What?" Nick yells back, "Kiss who?"

"What did you do to her?" I hear a third voice yell at him. Oh no, sweetie. Not him. You. As in both of you. Both of you did this to me.

"I don't know!" Nick shouts back at Demi. Good. I'm glad they're fighting. See? They're already yelling at each other, they're destined to fail.

I try to slip out from under his grip, but he slides his arms around my shoulders.

"Well she wouldn't be crying unless you did something to her!"

"He cheated!" I cry out again.

"You did what?" a fourth, male voice adds into the noise. Joe, I realize.

"I didn't!" Nick insists, trying to rock me back and forth, "I don't know what she's talking about." And that just makes me snap.

"Yes, you did," I sob, finally opening my eyes and blinking through the tears, I try for the millionth time to get him off of me.

"Let go of her," Demi demands and then tries to wrap her arms around me. Oh hell no. I reach up and smack her arms away and she looks back at me shocked.

"You," I point to Demi, "and you," I move my finger to Nick, "are going on tour. And you didn't tell me. I saw you two kiss. I know all about you!"

"What?" Joe says looking between Demi and Nick after a moment of awkward silence.

"Joe. You know that's not true," Demi says a lot quieter than she was before. She turns around and takes a step towards him in the doorway, "I would never cheat on you."

"What about the tour, Demi?" Joe asks just as quietly back.

"I-I..." Demi stutters nervously.

"So if you've been lying about that who knows what else you'd lie about."

Demi's silent, but she looks at Nick. Bad move. Nick looks away from her though and instead turns to me.

"Mi... Nothing happened between Demi and me."

"I saw you two together!"

"We were just talking about the tour, baby. We just talked to the tour coordinator and we were discussing things..."

"I saw it!" I insist.

"No, you didn't, Miley," Demi interrupts, "Nothing is going on between Nick and I."

"Yes there is!" why are they still trying to deny it? I try to conjure the image of them kissing back into my mind, but I can't recall it. I remember walking down the hallway. I remember the door open and I remember seeing them sitting closely, but then... nothing. Why can't I remember it? "There is!" I insist again but I'm partially talking to myself, "You guys had sex and now you're having an affair!"

Demi whips around to face Nick, "You told her?" she cries, "I can't believe you!"

"So it's true?" Joe asks angrily.

It suddenly occurs to me that Joe didn't know. Oh shit. That was a bad move. I didn't mean for Joe to get hurt. But how was I supposed to know? You'd think Nick would tell his own brother...

"You know what..." Joe says angrily, clenching his fists at his sides, "I don't even want to know... Let me know when you've figured out what, or who, you want," with that Joe walks out of the hospital room.

"Demi-"

"Don't, Nick," she says holding up her hand.

"Sorry," I say weakly, "I didn't know..." I trail off and look at Nick.

"It's fine," Demi says taking a deep breath, but I can tell she's just trying to be brave. I'm suddenly struck by how sincere she seems. Would someone who was having an affair really look that torn up? It's not just guilt in her eyes, but pure hurt and sadness. "I'm just gonna go find him and I can fix this. I can fix this," she repeats determinedly and then walks out too.

"I knew he liked her," Nick says quietly once she's gone, "That's why I didn't tell him..."

I nod and let that information sink in.

"Mi... I've done some things that I'm not proud of. I'm not perfect. But I can absolutely promise you from the bottom of my heart that I have never, never cheated on you or thought about cheating on you," he says looking at me desperately. I try to remember the kiss again, but I can't. Maybe it didn't happen. He looks so sincere and I want to believe him.

No, I do believe him. Fuck. I've completely messed up.

"I know," I admit, letting more tears fall, "But the tour... And you leaving me alone last night... And then you and Demi..."

Nick groans and tugs at his hair, "I just... I know it looked kind of bad, but I just need you to trust me. I need you to know that I wouldn't do that."

I blink at him. I wonder how I could have been so stupid.

"Miss Stewart?" an unfamiliar voice calls into the room, knocking on the door frame, "Am I interrupting?" the male figure clad in a white coat with a stethoscope around his neck.

"Nope," Nick says standing up straighter and putting a pleasant smile on his face, "Come in."

Nick reaches out to shake his hand and introduces himself. It's amazing how he can go from emotional to professional in about 2 seconds.

"Sweetie," Nick says addressing me, "I'm going to go find Demi and Joe and then I'll be back to take you home, okay?"

"Okay," I agree because what other option do I have? Nick places a light kiss on my cheek and then leaves the room.

"So Miley," the doctor says pleasantly, although there's nothing pleasant about my mood, "Let's get you checked out..."

After having a light shined in my face and being forced to follow his finger with my eyes, it turns out I passed out from exhaustion and because I didn't eat all night. I also have a slight concussion. But the good news is I'm allowed to leave as soon as someone comes to sign me out. Liability or something. Whatever. Anyway, I've been waiting around for someone to come get me for a while now.

Then there's a knock on my door and I look up eagerly. Nick is standing there solemnly with a bag in his hands.

"So what's the diagnosis?" he asks with a tiny smile playing on his lips as he if he's really trying hard not to laugh.

"Slight concussion and a huge bruise," I inform him.

He nods, "Well, I brought you some clothes to change into," he tosses the bag onto the bed; "I'll go sign you out while you get dressed, okay?"

It's really awkward. We're not exactly fighting, but we're definitely not being our usual selves. It's like we're walking on eggshells and I hate it, but I don't know what to do to fix it. My insecurities are hovering around us like fog that makes it hard to see ahead. I want to be with him and I want to trust him, but sometimes it's just so hard to believe he's mine.

So instead I get up and take off the hospital gown and put on the jeans and sweatshirt that Nick brought for me. There's another knock on the door and I call for the person to come in.

"Ready?" Nick asks and I nod. He comes forward and reaches around me to pull my hood up. He adjusts it and I realize he's trying to cover the bruise on my temple. I look at him questioningly.

"Paparazzi found us. We already released a statement that you fainted and sustained a head injury, but there's no need for everyone to see it," then he turns around to leave the room and I follow him.

The only sound the whole way to the elevator is the sound of our feet on the linoleum. Music plays softly in the elevator so at least it's not completely silent. We reach the door to the outside and Nick grabs my hand dutifully. I can't help but think that he did it because he had to, not because he wanted to. But I push that thought aside as we go through the doors and are attacked with questions. I keep my head down to avoid the flashes and Nick guides me through the crowd.

"How are you feeling Miley? Is it true you passed out from drinking too much? Are you pregnant? How is your and Nick's relationship doing?" the questions keep coming, but I ignore them. Anything I say will be taken the wrong way anyway.

Finally we make it to the car and Nick opens the door for me and closes it once I'm situated. He walks around to the driver's side and starts up the car. Silence takes over again and I almost miss the paparazzi's invasive questions. Anything to break the silence. I try several times, but always chicken out at the last moment. I'm thankful when we pull up to the house 10 minutes later.

"You should probably get some rest," Nick tells me stiffly. I wish we weren't like this but I don't know how to fix it, "You go upstairs, I'll bring you up some Tylenol and some water."

I nod and head up the stairs. The most annoying part is even when things are strained between us he's still so nice and polite. But at least that proves he still cares. If the day ever comes that he doesn't care I don't know what I'll do.

I slide off my jeans and put on pajama pants and then climb into Nick's bed. I snuggle against the covers until Nick comes into the room. He comes over to the side of the bed and gives me two white pills and a small bottle of water. I take them gratefully because my head is starting to really, really hurt. It feels so heavy so I rest it on the pillows. I kind of expected, or at least hoped, that Nick would lie down with me, but instead he leans down to give me a kiss on the forehead. I want to tell him to stay, but suddenly I'm so tired that I can't make my mouth move. My eyes droop close and the last thing I hear is the door closing softly before I fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.

You know that feeling when you take a nap in the afternoon and then when you wake up you can't tell what time it is? Totally feeling that right now. It's completely disorienting, but at least my head isn't throbbing anymore. I turn to the other side of the bed and read the glowing alarm clock. 5:00. I've been out for almost six hours.

I can hear piano coming from the music room down the hall and I know it's Nick. I'm not quite ready to talk to him yet though so instead I leave the room and cross the hallway.

Knocking softly on the door I wait for the muffled call of "come in" before pushing it open and entering.

Joe is lying on his bed, looking at the ceiling and apparently doing nothing. There's no music playing and he's barely moving. If his eyes weren't open I probably would have thought it was asleep.

"Hi," I say softly, standing awkwardly in the middle of the room.

"Hey," Joe replies sullenly before sitting up and patting the spot next to him. I relax. Okay, at least he doesn't completely hate me. He could have just kicked me out or not let me in at all.

"Ouch," he says wincing when he sees my bruise, "That looks like it hurts."

I shake my head a little, "Not that much anymore..."

"Nick and Demi completely freaked when they saw you fall," he tells me, "Demi was screaming and Nick was as white as a ghost. He didn't leave your hospital room all night even though they tried to make him. I honestly don't think he slept at all."

Gee, thanks Joe, that's just what I needed: a reminder that Nick and Demi are great people and I'm an insecure idiot. But I know that that's just the way Joe is and the truth is I needed to hear that.

"I really messed up, didn't I?" I say looking at my hands and sounding very small.

Joe shrugs, "Yeah, pretty much. But it's nothing you and Nick can't fix."

"I don't know how."

"You have to trust him... And he has to trust you," Joe says. Well, who knew Joe could be so deep?

"I know... But it's so hard sometimes to know how he's feeling. I mean, I think we're really serious, but then sometimes I'm not so sure if this is for real."

"Trust me," Joe says with a small chuckle, "Nick is completely serious about you. Before you, I can't even remember the last time a relationship went farther than a second date for Nick. Nick isn't that open of a person, but if you knew him before he met you, you wouldn't  
even recognize him. You give him this new energy and it's really something, Miley."

I digest that information. Nick has changed since he's met me. In a good way. Sometimes it's hard to know what he's feeling, but he's never made it seem like he didn't love me. But if he was really serious then why aren't we engaged? Does he not want to be? If he was serious, he would ask me to marry him, right? That is the next step.

"A ring doesn't mean anything, you know that right?" Joe says suddenly and it's like he's looking right through me. Sometimes I wish he had been my "brother" my whole life.

"I know, but-"

"It didn't change anything between Demi and I," Joe interrupts bitterly.

God, why am I so selfish today? I can't believe I let it slip my mind that Demi and Joe are going though just as many problems as Nick and I. And all thanks to me and my big mouth.

"I'm sorry," I immediately apologize, "I didn't mean to..."

"I know. It's not you. It's us. It would have happened eventually even if you didn't bring it up," Joe sighed, "We were so close before, I thought we could just pick up where we left off. But I guess when she just like disappeared off my radar that was after her and Nick's... thing."

"You know it was a long time ago, right?"

"Yeah… Nick explained to me. A few years too late, but still..." Joe trails off.

"So what's up with you and Demi now?" I ask timidly. Please don't tell me they broke up for good. Despite what Joe said, I would never forgive myself. And Demi would probably never forgive me either.

"We're 'taking a break'" he says, using air quotes. Then he nods over to his dresser where the black ring box he gave her less than a week ago is sitting.

"Oh, Joe," I cry and move closer, putting an arm around him in a comforting gesture.

"It's fine. We're still gonna talk. We're just starting over from scratch kind of. Getting re-learn each other. And then we'll see where it goes," he says matter-of-factly like he's repeating someone else's words.

"But still, I'm sorry."

"Me too, but I guess I kind of rushed into it," Joe admitted, "I kind of tend to do that."

"Really?" I joke with a fake look of surprise. I'd rather be with laughing Joe than depressed Joe and I know he can't resist someone teasing him.

"Shut up," he retorts glaring playfully and then wraps an arm around me in a brother-like fashion, "She wants you to know that she's not mad at you."

I give him a look and he chuckles, "Okay, well she's a little mad. But I think she's more embarrassed. She's pretty private when it comes to that stuff. But she still wants to be friends and she's excited to tour with you."

"If that's still happening," I say sadly, glancing to the right where piano music is seeping through the walls.

"You guys should talk," Joe says, "You know, he's just scared. He's never felt this way before."

"Me neither," I say with a smile as I think about it, "But what's he scared of?"

"All the same things you are, Miley. That one day you'll wake up and you won't love him anymore. That you'll find someone better than him. That you don't love him the way he loves you."

I clench my teeth in annoyance, "But Joe, that's completely-" I pause for a second and realize what I'm about to say is completely hypocritical. Joe grins at me because he knows I've finally figured it out.

"- ridiculous," I finish, "oh my God, I am an idiot," I shake my head at myself. How could I have not seen that the whole time?

"Nah, you're normal," Joe jokes, "Now go talk to him and fix things up before he writes a another heartbroken ballad," he gives me an extra squeeze for support and then I get up to leave his room.

"Hey Joe," I call, turning around before I leave, "Thanks."

"Not problem, Miley," he says with a smile and somehow I think everything is going to turn out fine.

But as I walk back down the hall, the nerves return. What if he doesn't want to make up? Maybe he's just waiting until we go back to L.A. so that I'm not stuck at his parents' house for a day after we've broken up. Maybe he's done with me. The door is partially open so I don't bother knocking. He probably wouldn't have heard it over the piano anyway.

As I approach him from behind I realize that his eyes are closed as his fingers glide across the keys. Watching him play instruments is truly amazing; he makes it look so effortless and easy. I don't want to disturb him so I quietly sit on the bench next to him. He hesitates only for a second but continues to play. He smiles softly which makes me feel a little better. After a few moments he presses down hard on the last chord and let's it resonate across the room. We both listen to it echo and only once it stops does he turn to look at me. Neither of us knows what to say and it's so awkward I want to scream.

"I'm sorry," we both suddenly say at the same time and then look at each other confused.

"I'm sorry for thinking you and Demi were having an affair. It was stupid of me to think that," I look down as I apologize, "I should have known you would never cheat on me with Demi."

Nick groans in frustration. I keep my head down, I can't look at him. He's still mad and disappointed and I don't want to see it.

"Mi," he says, his voice suddenly soft, he grasps my chin gently and tugs on it so I'm forced to look at him, "I'd never cheat on you with _anyone_. You know that right?"

I shrug. I mean, in theory I know that. But there are tons of girls that Nick hasn't met yet who are prettier than me, more secure than me, more talented than me, more sexual than me, skinnier than me, etc. If one of them came along, why wouldn't Nick cheat on me?

"Mi, come on. I love you. I would never ever cheat on you," he says, his eyes begging for me to believe him.

I open my mouth to protest but he places a finger over my lips.

"Never," he repeats firmly, "I would have to be the world's biggest idiot to ever cheat on a girl like you. What more could I want from a girl than what you give me?"

It's obviously a rhetorical question so I don't say anything. Nick drops his finger from my lips.

"_I'm_ sorry for making you think I was cheating on you," Nick says regretfully, "I just wanted to surprise you. I didn't realize how it might look from the outside."

"I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions," I admit.

"I know, but I'm still sorry. I was just so excited thinking about touring with you that I forgot to think about your feelings."

"Are we really gonna tour together?" I say a smile playing on my face.

"Yeah, if you want to," Nick says, taking my left hand in his right.

"Well, you still want to, right?" Maybe he's rethinking it now and just wants to get away from me for a little bit.

"Yeah, I do," Nick says with a smile creeping over his face, "I love touring and I want to share the experience with you... And I don't think I could spend two months apart from you anyway," he adds, "so it's pretty much a win-win situation for me."

"I want to," I squeeze his hand, "I missed touring so much."

"I missed you. I don't like when we fight," Nick says bringing his face close to mine.

"Me neither," I breathe out.

His fingers run over my knuckles and linger on my empty ring finger for a second. We both look down at it and I blush.

"I'm scared," Nick says suddenly, he's so quiet I can barely hear him, "I'm scared that one day I'll wake up and you won't feel the same way that I do about you. That you'll find someone better. Do you know how many guys would kill to be in my spot? Guys who are better than me..."

"Nick... I love you and only you."

"I know, but-"

"No, no buts. Like you said, what else could I want from a guy than what you give me?"

"But you're so perfect and I'm just me," Nick sounds so dejected. I've never seen this vulnerable side of him and it breaks my heart. Doesn't he know that I love him and he's perfect? Doesn't he know that I would never want to be with anyone else?

"Have you ever seen yourself?" I say, "Have you seen the girls who line up for hours to see you? The ones who would die to have you even look at them?"

"But they don't know me," Nick says frustrated, "they think I'm some big stud who writes romantic songs and always knows the right thing to say... I'm not that guy in real life."

"You ARE," I insist, "And you're so much more than that too. You're the kind of guy who can't sleep without fixing an argument. You're a loyal friend. You're an incredible musician. You're the kind of guy who treats his mom like a queen. The guy who never has something bad to say about anyone. And you're the best boyfriend ever. And one day you'll make the best husband ever and the best dad ever."

Nick strokes my empty finger again and looks up and smiles, "I just want it to be perfect..."

I smile back at him, "It will be. But not because of whatever romantic thing I'm sure you'll do. It will be perfect because you'll know it's right and I'll know it's right, and it will be perfect because we're perfect- for each other."

"Yeah..." Nick trails off and I can tell he's thinking about it by the smile on his face, "it will be."

"I. Love. You," I say slowly and carefully looking straight into his warm brown eyes, "and I only want you."

"I love you too," he says and moves one leg over the bench so that he's straddling it and facing me.

"I know you do," I smile and repeat his actions.

"You're mine," he says, grabbing my chin again and pulling my face close to his. But it's not in an aggressive or possessive way, but in a factual way and let me tell you, it is a pretty big turn on.

"I'm yours," I agree and then I close the space in between our lips to seal the deal. It's perfect. It feels like we've made it over this huge mountain and there's nothing but flat road and maybe a few minor bumps left.

I don't know when we'll get engaged or how it will happen, but as Nick gets up and takes my hand and leads me back to his room, I realize that it doesn't matter when because either way I know we're perfectly in love and nothing can stop us.

***breathes out* it's over. Over 1000 reviews later it's over. I was completely overwhelmed by the response to the last chapter. I got OVER 1000 reviews. When I said I wanted 1000 I thought I would probably get them by the end of the story, not after that one chapter. Thank you so much.**

**It's been fun writing this story and I'm glad you all enjoyed it to. Stylistically, it's very different from my other stuff (that just sounded like Nick talking about NJ&TA), but it was good.**


	29. SEQUEL: Just Like A Dream

**Sequel to MBWP has been posted. It's called 'Just Like A Dream' Enjoy :)  
**


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